Sincerely, Nobody
by Lulala
Summary: Roxas finds an anonymously written diary, and falls in love with the writer. As he searches for her, a war looms, providing the most atypical of high school drama. Can Roxas discover her identity? How will he even begin to explain himself? R x N
1. Loose lips sink ships

Hellooo, and welcome to the newest fic by Lulala! As promised, I'm back with "Sincerely, Nobody"!

**"Sincerely, Nobody", by Lulala**

**Summary: **Roxas finds a diary of a girl, and isn't sure who it belongs to. As he reads more into the girl's life, he realizes he's in love with her. Will he find her? Even if he does, how will he even begin to explain himself? R x N

**Rating: **T, for language and stuff. It's kind of a high school fic, but I promise it won't be like any other one you have ever read.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. I wish. Then I would know what happens to all of our pals! XD

Here 'tis! Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey, Roxas… Roxas?" Riku said impatiently. "Roxas, I asked you, what do you have fourth period?"

Roxas shook his head a little, his spiky blond locks falling into his eyes a little. He glanced up at Riku, who was sitting in the front seat of Sora's seven year old Honda Civic. His long, silvery hair that had grown quite a bit over the summer was guaranteed to drive the girls wild this year. Shaking thoughts of Riku being mauled by freshman from his head, Roxas pulled his schedule out of his pocket. "I have English," Roxas replied, mentally sighing. He wasn't a fan of English class.

"Sweet, which teacher?"

"Keller."

"Awesome," Riku smirked. "Should be cool."

Sora made a quick left into the Twilight High parking lot. "How much does today suck?" he asked the other two boys miserably.

"I don't mind being back," Riku replied, shrugging. "A new year means new… well… everything. And I like that." Sora maneuvered the small car into a parking spot easily, and all three boys climbed out.

Heading towards the school, Roxas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it also means that I'll have to see Yuri every day…"

"Shut up," Riku said, messing up Roxas' hair. "Yuri is awesome."

To Roxas, Yuri was far from awesome. They had been friends since before he could remember, but… ever since hitting puberty, she hadn't wanted to leave Roxas alone. Sure, she was cool, and pretty awesome looking—long blonde hair, even longer legs, and bright blue eyes… but even still, Roxas was reluctant to date her.

"I don't get you," Sora commented, glancing over at Roxas as he carefully mussed his hair back to perfection. "She's nice, brilliant, and gorgeous… what are you waiting for? Before long, she'll be drooling over Riku, like everyone else… take the chance while you can."

Finished with his hair, Roxas began massaging his temples. "I don't know. She doesn't leave me alone, and that's a little bit of a turn off, I guess."

Riku pulled open the heavy, metal door to the school, and stepped through the doorway and into the building that all of them had been dreading returning to since the day they had left it the previous June. "Just go out with her once," he suggested as Roxas followed him into the school. "You'll see."

Roxas looked up at the ceiling. "Right. Anyway, I agree with what Sora said before… it _does _suck to be back here."

Glancing around, Roxas realized a split second later that he had missed the hustle and bustle of Twilight High. Seeing so many people he knew from the year before was actually pretty cool. All three boys made their way through the crowded hallways towards the hallway where all three happened to have their lockers situated.

Fiddling with the lock for a couple minutes, Roxas finally was able to pop open the locker. Hastily throwing any extra school supplies in it, he slammed it shut and met back up with Riku and Sora. Since his brief moment away from the group, he noticed that it had gained a few new members—Kairi, Naminé, and Yuri.

"Hey, girls," he greeted them, smiling. "Long time, no see," he added, more in Kairi and Naminé's direction than Yuri's. She had staked out his house a few times over the summer, so he had definitely seen her a bit.

"Great to see you, too, Roxas," Naminé replied, returning his grin.

Before Roxas could say anything else to Naminé, Yuri had pounced on him, giving him a quick hug before saying, "Roxas, you look so great! I'm so happy school's back in, now I get to see you every day!"

"Yeah, it's great," Roxas agreed half-heartedly.

Part of him really wanted to like Yuri—after all, it seemed that she was pretty crazy about him. Somehow, though, any time she hugged him or touched him, it bothered him… definitely not a good sign.

Thankfully, the five minute warning bell clanged loudly before Yuri could say much more. Roxas hurried off to first period with Sora, bidding Riku a quick goodbye as he headed in the other direction, flanked by Kairi and Naminé. Yuri latched on to another of her girl friends, and was gone within seconds.

"Wow," Sora commented, giving Roxas a look as they wove between teens rushing to their first class. "She really does like you."

Roxas reached over and shoved a laughing Sora. "Shut up," he grumbled. "She's nice, but I don't see her as more than a friend."

"Your loss," Sora said, threatening to crack up again.

"I don't get what's so funny," Roxas shot back, rolling his eyes.

He and Sora came upon their first period classroom, and entered, quickly choosing seats towards the back. Roxas slid into his desk, dropping his backpack on the ground. As the final bell announcing the official start of school tolled, Sora quietly murmured, "Here's to a sweet year."

Roxas nodded in agreement as the teacher took her place at the front of the room to begin the standard first day rules and regulations class, during which they were sure to get something for a parent to sign. Roxas could feel his brain going numb with boredom after no more than ten minutes of the teacher's lecture. It was the same every year—being a junior, he had heard these rule lectures a few too many times.

The next two classes weren't any different. By the time he got to fourth period, he was glad to see Riku, but a little miffed to see that Yuri was this class, as well. "Hi, Roxas," she greeted him cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Not much," he made a tremendous effort to half-smile, and wasn't sure that it had worked.

Naminé approached the group of three, looking the same as the last time Roxas had seen her before school had gotten out. She was still pretty short, still tiny, and still just as quiet as he remembered. Thankfully, she was around to balance out Kairi and Yuri—without her, they would be twice as loud as they already were.

"Naminé, how was your summer?" Roxas asked, hoping that Yuri would take this as a hint that he wasn't really in the mood to talk to her at the moment.

She leaned up against the wall next to Roxas. They were currently occupying the back right corner of their English classroom, and weren't in any hurry to be seated. "It was okay… pretty much the usual," she replied vaguely. "Yours?"

As Yuri rushed over to talk to a boy that Roxas didn't recognize, he whispered, "Anything but ordinary. Picture Yuri staking out my house, and you pretty much have my summer in a nutshell."

Riku was trying to get in on the secret, but Roxas waved him off. Semi-pouting, Riku slouched away towards Yuri, who was still at the front of the room talking to the same guy as before. "She told us about it," Naminé whispered back. "We tried to tell her that it wasn't a good idea, but…"

Roxas smiled a little. "Thanks… someday she'll be cool again."

Naminé nodded in agreement. "She just really likes you."

Mrs. Kerber walked in and called the class to order. Roxas hurried into a seat across the aisle from Riku. Yuri slid into the seat behind Roxas, and Naminé settled in behind Riku. For the fourth time, the boring rules lecture began.

* * *

After fourth period, it was time for lunch, and Roxas was beyond relieved to have a break from the lecturing. He hurried through the pizza line, picking out the best looking piece of pepperoni, and made his way to the round table that he and his friends had shared since the first day of freshman year.

Their table was situated right near a window, so there was a perfect view of the baseball fields. The only person sitting at the table was Naminé, and she was gazing out the window, her bright blue eyes slipping off into a daydream. "Hey," he greeted her, pulling out the chair next to her and sitting down. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hmm?" she shook her head a little, shaking off the daydream that had almost taken hold of her. "Yeah, I saw Riku and Sora a little bit ago, they said they'd be right back… and I guess I'm not sure what Kairi and Yuri are up to."

"Bathroom," Roxas said immediately. "They went to fix their makeup, probably."

Naminé giggled a little. "You're probably right… how could I forget?"

Roxas noticed that what little makeup Naminé wore still looked perfect—and completely doubted that she had even touched it since this morning. Riku and Sora suddenly arrived, and pulled up chairs next to Roxas. "Today's been great so far," Riku commented, digging in to his burger and fries.

Roxas started in on his pizza while Sora and Naminé were already comparing which books were on the English syllabus. They were both literature freaks, while Riku and Roxas leaned more towards the math and science classes. Kairi and Yuri arrived, salads in hand, a few minutes later. Looking disappointed that Roxas already had people sitting on both sides of him, Yuri sniffed a little, and settled in between Kairi and Naminé.

Yuri and Kairi brought a whole new life to the table. They seemed to have that effect on nearly everyone—if you weren't talking before they got there, you wouldn't be able to stop once they arrived. They seemed to just bring everyone else to life with their complete and utter lack of the ability to shut up. Not that it was a bad thing—Roxas would rather listen to them squeal and chatter than listen to Sora and Naminé talk about books.

* * *

The rest of the day went by in slow-mo. Roxas was bored out of his mind by the time the bell rang at the end of sixth period. Rushing through the halls to meet up with Sora, he kicked something that was on the ground, and saw it slide across the floor. Wrinkling his brow, he fought his way through the crowd towards the object.

It was a small, compact notebook. On the front, it bore one simple saying, taped on from letters clipped out of magazines:

_loose lips sink ships_

Roxas picked it up, and ran his hand over the cover, dusting it off. _I wonder what this is…_ He cracked it open, and realized with a start that it was without a doubt…

A diary.

* * *

...and so it begins. Review, please!

Thanks for reading!

Lulala


	2. There's somethin wrong with him

At last, another update! Gawd, how slow am I? XD Okay. Anyway. Thanks to all the reviewers... you rock my world. :D Seriously.

Enjoy!

...ooo...

The first thought that ran through Roxas' mind as he quickly snapped the diary shut was: _Oh shit. What do I do with this?_ _I mean, I'd have to read it to find out who it belongs to, wouldn't I? If I don't read it, and take it to the lost and found… everyone who goes through that stuff will read it._

Confused beyond belief, Roxas, thinking at about a million miles per second, stuffed the diary into his backpack and rushed off to meet Sora, feeling embarrassed with himself for even touching the diary at all. At the same time, however, curiosity was eating away at his mind—he desperately wanted to know who the diary belonged to.

Resolving to read only the first page when he was in the safety of his own home, he met up with Sora and Riku at the north end of the school, and was a little angry to find Yuri there as well, laughing with Riku over something.

"Yuri's gonna snag a ride home today," Sora mumbled to Roxas as they headed for the doors, Riku and Yuri trailing behind them. "I told you she'd be drooling over Riku."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Like I care."

Sora shrugged a little. "I think you do."

Roxas' head snapped towards Sora. Wrinkling his nose, he said, "Sora? Where have you been for the past few years?"

Sora shrugged again. Sneaking a glance at Riku and Yuri, he replied, "I dunno. Watching Yuri chase you, and you pretending not to enjoy it, I guess."

Roxas choked, and began to cough. "That's what I thought," Sora said, grinning smugly.

Regaining his composure, Roxas finally had a chance to reply. "I _do not_ enjoy it!" he protested. "You're crazy, Sora."

"Right," Sora agreed sarcastically as he unlocked the car doors. Roxas climbed into the passenger seat, and Riku and Yuri slid into the back.

The ride home seemed much longer and more boring than usual. Riku and Yuri were laughing in the back of the car, and Sora was giving Roxas some glances that he really didn't appreciate. What was worse, Roxas couldn't stop himself from thinking about reading the diary. Roxas slouched a little further into his seat as Sora turned onto Yuri's street.

Sora pulled into her driveway, and she was quick to push open her door and hop out of the car. "See you guys tomorrow! Hey Roxas, call me later if you're not busy!" she said, waving goodbye cheerfully. She slammed the door, and rushed up her driveway towards the front door of her house.

"Thank you for dropping her off first," Roxas said to Sora gratefully. "I thought maybe my head was going to explode."

"Rox, don't forget to call her later," Riku teased, reaching up to the front seat to pinch Roxas' cheek. "She just loves her little Roxy—"

"Oh god, I'm going to punch you," Roxas interrupted threateningly. "Seriously!"

Riku laughed. "You'd break your hand, sorry to say."

Roxas stared at his lap, knowing that what Riku said was true. Riku and Sora roared with laughter, and Roxas could feel his cheeks burning red. "Guys, seriously. Once you get a girl that's obsessed with you, you'll understand how I feel."

Riku and Sora exchanged a glance in Sora's rear-view mirror.

"Fine," Roxas snapped. "Maybe Sora had better stop being so obsessed with Kairi, or I might have to talk to her about this, cause she's the only one who will understand."

Sora's eyes widened, and he gave Roxas a quick look of surprise. "I AM NOT obsessed with Kairi!"

Roxas smiled—jackpot. "Whatever you say, Sora."

He wracked his brains for any recollection of a girl that Riku had a crush on, but Riku was notoriously private about girls he liked. The last girl he had liked, Reika, had meant endless teasing from Sora and Roxas about nothing more than how 'cute' their names were together: Riku and Reika. Cue the 'awww's.

Before long, Sora was pulling into Roxas' driveway, for which he was grateful. He didn't want to endure any more teasing from Sora and Riku, and he wanted to read the diary. He climbed out of the car, muttered a hurried goodbye, and rushed into his house.

...ooo...

He kicked off his shoes in the entryway, and continued down the short hallway and into the kitchen. Yanking open the refrigerator door, he pulled out a can of coke, and slammed the door shut again, a blast of cold air ruffling his bangs. He exited the kitchen the same way he had entered, and slouched across the living room towards the stairs.

Quickly, he scaled the stairs and veered to the right. He pushed open the door to his bedroom, and shut it behind him. His walls were a simple white, and the carpet was a light tan color, obviously chosen by his mother. Setting his can of coke down on his desk, which was made of a lighter color of wood, he fished around in his backpack until he found the diary. He grabbed his soda and shuffled over towards his bed, which was clad in a dark blue bedspread, and plopped down on it. He popped open his coke, and took a long drink before setting it on his nightstand, which was made of the same wood as his desk.

He then focused his attention on the diary. Blue eyes narrowing, he gazed at the magazine clipped words: "loose lips sink ships".

_Hmm, I guess that _kind of _makes sense_, he thought, running his fingers over the words slowly. Feeling the curiosity bursting inside of him, he couldn't wait a moment longer—he flipped open the cover, and began to read the first page.

**_I have no idea who people think I am, but I know for a fact: I'm nobody. High school only forces me to realize that I am completely and utterly correct in saying this. The way that things play out in that building is so… for lack of better words… screwed up. I mean, what's the use in gossiping? You might as well say it to the person's face, since no matter what, it always gets back to them. And for that matter, why even bother with 'cliques'? Might as well make friends with your enemies, because you say more nasty things about your 'friends' behind their backs than about your enemies. Okay, I guess I don't know about anybody else's school, but that's how it is here. Anyway. That kind of stuff just makes me hear about how I'm nobody. But I have always known. That's how my friends treat me. I'm the quiet one, who keeps my two 'best friends' in check. I'm the one who spends all of her time listening to the Smashing Pumpkins, and reading or writing._**

_**But worst of all? Because of the fact that neither of my friends can keep their mouths shut, I know all the guys they have crushes on… and one of my friends just happens to be crazy about the only person I have ever really liked. I won't pretend that it couldn't be worse, because it could, but… I can't wait to get out of here.**_

Roxas' eyes were widening with every word that he read. He didn't know any other person who liked the Smashing Pumpkins—they were one of his favorite bands of all time. He could completely identify with the girl—he, too, was eager to get out of high school. As he neared the end of the diary entry, he was slightly disappointed when he read:

**_Knee-deep in the gigantic pool of the judgmental for another two years…_**

**_Sincerely,_**

_**Nobody**_

No name. At least, he figured, she was a junior—after all, they had just started their junior year, which meant they still had all of junior year and senior year to go. At least that narrowed it down a little—after all, how many junior girls could there be that liked the Smashing Pumpkins, felt smothered by high school life, and wrote anonymous diaries? Not many, Roxas was guessing.

Trying to resist the urge to turn the page and continue reading the girl's diary, he failed miserably. About an hour later, his coke was gone, and he glanced at the clock. His mouth dropped open slightly—he couldn't believe that he had gone from just reading the first page to reading the little book for an hour!

One thing was for sure—the girl was just like the kind of girl that Roxas hoped to meet someday, but had never expected to meet in high school. She was smart, cool, independent… Roxas shook his head. He knew that he had to find her and return the diary—it was full of her deepest thoughts, and she had even written some poems in it. She would surely be missing it… and he had to return it.

Though he wouldn't be quick to admit it, he also desperately wanted to meet her, whoever she was… though she seemed much more artsy than Roxas, reading about her life had somehow managed to suck him in. She wrote about everything, which only made him feel worse about reading it—he had basically read into her deepest thoughts without her permission.

**_I guess I don't know what I'd do if someone found this. First, I'd probably thank the good lord that I have written in here anonymously. Second, I'd probably go on a mad search to find this thing, cause no girl wants to lose a year of poetry. Right?_**

That was a small excerpt that she had written on one of the pages he had read. She also occasionally had little poems scrawled in the middle of diary entries. Not being particularly fond of poetry, Roxas just skimmed over them… at first. Just as the rest of the diary had, however, he was pulled in, and soon found himself anticipating more poetry from the girl. She really was gifted when it came to writing.

He really, really wanted to meet her.

...ooo...

"There is somethin' wrong with him," Sora decided, pulling out of Roxas' driveway. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "There must be… he thinks you like Kairi, but anyone with eyes can see that it's Naminé."

Sora's eyebrows crinkled together. "What? She's pretty much my best friend. That's gross, Riku, not to mention completely not what I was talking about."

Riku shrugged. "Sorry. Just thought I'd throw that out there. But yeah, you're right… he's seemed off since we got in the car."

"Could it be Yuri, or something else…?" Sora murmured, deep in thought.

Riku looked up at the ceiling. "So we've gotta be good friends and figure it out. That must be what you're saying."

Sora nodded. "We'll start tomorrow."

...ooo...

Haha. I love this chapter, and I hope you do too. Will Roxas find the owner of the diary? Will he manage to do it without being driven insane by Yuri? We'll see XD read the next chapter, coming hopefully quicker than this one, to find out :D Review?

Thank you for reading,

Lulala


	3. Gossip, jealousy, destiny?

Wow. We're not even going to discuss how long it has been:O This website, or my computer, is behaving oddly, and I can't see this at all in simple mode when I try to edit it. So hmm. I will do the best I can here. This was ready a couple days ago, actually, but I couldn't get it to upload. Awwwkward. Thank you SO MUCH for all of the wonderful reviews! I am sorry for being such a slacker. Either way, here you are, at LAST: chapter 3!!!

Normally, Naminé was the calm girl in school. Having two completely spastic friends, it was a miracle that she was able to stay this way. Any time Yuri or Kairi would flip out, Naminé would close her eyes, take a deep breath, and hurry to help her friend smooth things over. She was the absolute picture of calmness, and was known widely throughout the school as the quiet girl with the cool head. Though all of that was completely true, even the best of us have an off day… and that day had been the most off one that Naminé had had for quite some time.

To put it simply: she was losing it.

She hurried about her room in a complete frenzy, uplifting anything in her path. Her room, which had once been just as pristine and tidy as her manner, was now an unthinkable mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere, as well as shoes, CD's, and any other trinkets she might have had. As she dug through the now present piles, her heart was racing, and her brain was spinning so quickly out of control that she couldn't think straight.

_I can't have lost it_, she thought frantically. _There is no way that it's gone, it's got to be around somewhere… if I could just remember where I put it…_

Suddenly, with one great wave of emotion, she collapsed into a pile of clothes, and at last admitted to herself that her most prized possession was indeed gone. Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks, rosy with anxiety. Where would she even _begin_ to look for what she had lost? By now, someone would have read it, and it would only be a matter of time before they figured out that it belonged to her…

...ooo...

The next morning, Roxas rose with new thoughts surging through his mind. All revolved around the girl who had written the diary. The only thing he could think of was meeting her. His mind had been focused on it all night long, and he had even had a strange dream concerning the mystery girl. In the dream, Yuri had confessed that it belonged to her, but as Roxas dug deeper into the mystery, he found that it wasn't Yuri's at all, and that it belonged to a girl who had just recently moved to another country. He went chasing after her, only to find that it was Yuri after all.

Pushing the dream from his mind, his thoughts again centered on the girl. What was she like? Was she as beautiful as she seemed? He knew that if he didn't find her soon, the curiosity would eat him alive… he had to know. There was, of course, one minor roadblock: how in the world would he find one anonymous girl within a class of nearly 700 students?

As he showered and readied himself for school, he began to formulate his plan of attack. He would first comb through the poetry and literature club, both of which Sora was a member, or perhaps the music club, which Riku was a member of. It would only take one simple question, and maybe a little more digging, to figure out whether any of them were the girl: did they like the Smashing Pumpkins? Not many girls he knew did. Then again, he _did _hang around with girls like Kairi and Yuri, who were more into main stream music. Maybe the more artsy girls, like Naminé or something, were into that. He didn't know much about her, so he couldn't be sure. It was odd, wasn't it, that after all these years of being friends, he knew nothing about her? He didn't know many of the girls that Sora hung around with, either—what types of music did they like?

Before long, Roxas found himself in the back seat of Sora's car, with Sora and Riku basically gossiping in the front seat. As he tried desperately to tune them out as he thought about his plan, he couldn't help but catch small bits of their conversation. They were, evidently, talking about Kairi, Yuri, and Naminé—their three favorite subjects.

"Seriously, dude, Naminé likes someone. It's been so long since she has been like this," Riku was trying to convince Sora.

"Seriously, dude, she's pretty much my best friend, and I haven't heard a thing," Sora replied, wrinkling his brow. "I don't know where you're getting this."

"She's been writing a lot," he offered feebly. "She's… well…"

"What's your point?"

"I don't know. She's our friend, we've got to figure out—"

"Figure out what?" Roxas asked.

"Who Naminé likes," Riku filled in for him.

"Is it really that important?"

"Not for you, you never talk to her," Riku said, "but it is for Sora and I."

"Yeah, why don't you talk to her?" Sora asked, casting a quick glance in the rear view mirror at Roxas.

"I do!" Roxas said. "Just not as much as you guys, because I never used to have any classes with her."

"I think maybe Yuri and Kairi are mad at her because she won't tell them who it is," Riku told them thoughtfully.

"Kairi was hinting at that yesterday," Sora added in agreement. "You're probably right."

"You guys are such gossips," Roxas suddenly said, smiling slightly. "Oh, don't look at me like that, you know you are—"

Riku tossed his jacket into the back seat, and it landed squarely on Roxas' head. Laughing, Roxas pulled it off and tossed it back at Riku. "You can keep that, I just thought I'd tell you the truth!"

"Whatever," Sora scoffed. "We don't gossip. We just like to know things."

Laughing, Roxas unbuckled his seat belt as Sora parked the car and turned off the ignition. "Just keep telling yourself that. You guys are like the male versions of Kairi and Yuri!"

"One more word and you'll be sorry, got it?" Riku threatened.

"Fine, fine," Roxas relented, grinning. "Did you guys have a good night?"

"Lovely," Riku muttered sarcastically. "Between the mountains of homework… ugh, at what point am I supposed to have a life?"

"Never," Sora replied darkly, leading the way towards the school. "That's the way they want it."

Riku continued to complain as they pushed their way through the massive crowds of students towards their lockers. Roxas decided to take a quick detour to the spot where he had found the diary—maybe the girl would be around looking for it…

He waited for several minutes without any success. Just as he was about to leave to go join up with Sora and Riku again, he ran into Naminé.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted her.

She smiled a little. "Not much, how about you?"

"Just… nothing."

"Oh," Naminé replied, glancing at the ground.

"Riku was complaining about the homework this morning," Roxas said awkwardly. "Did you have a lot?"

"Mostly reading," she answered, eyes glittering. "I don't mind doing that."

"That's great, just never talk literature at lunch with Sora," Roxas teased. "Cause that's nasty."

She smiled a little wider. "Roxas, just because you don't like books… honestly…"

Just as he was about to say something, Yuri popped up in her usual stalker-esque manner. "Morning, Roxas!" she said cheerfully.

"Ugh," he replied. "I mean, gotta go…"

"There's ten minutes, we'll come along!" she said happily, grabbing Naminé's hand and following after Roxas.

He mentally sighed, and cast Naminé a glance of desperation. She, however, seemed to find this funny—she was fighting a smile as Roxas settled in to his usual Yuri-is-right-over-there-holy-crap demeanor. _Great_, he thought. _Another second around this girl… will drive me insane._

...ooo...

During passing time from first to second period, Kairi, Naminé, and Yuri met up at their usual spot. Naminé was still kicking herself over the fact that Roxas had distracted her, and that Yuri had dragged her away from the first spot she was going to look for her missing item. She had wandered into the lost and found that morning, looking hopeful, but hadn't found a thing. Still down on herself about losing it in the first place, she was even more quiet and reserved than usual.

"I just don't get it," Yuri was whining to them. "Roxas will talk to little miss prim over here, but he runs away the second I turn up!"

Naminé wrinkled her nose at the 'little miss prim' remark. For one, she didn't even know that the word 'prim' was in Yuri's very small, limited vocabulary. "I am _not _prim," Naminé said in her best impression of forceful.

"Yes, you are," Kairi immediately agreed with Yuri. "You're just classy. And yeah, I don't understand him either. I mean, you're gorgeous, and you're fun…"

_And loud, obnoxious, and a complete gossip_, Naminé added in her head.

Yuri ran her hands through her hair. "Maybe I'll go after Riku, make him jealous…"

"Don't," Naminé said shortly. "He is practically my brother, not to mention my neighbor, so don't you dare take one stride toward Riku."

"Fine, fine," Yuri said, holding up her hands as if to symbolize that she had dropped the idea. "I won't, then. And I suppose Sora is definitely out of the question?"

"Yes!" Naminé and Kairi said together.

"Seriously, just go find another guy outside of our group to damage," Kairi scoffed. "I don't think the jealousy thing is a good idea."

Naminé silently agreed, but knew that Yuri wasn't used to either of the other two girls standing up to her, causing her to keep her opinion to herself.

"And why not?" Yuri questioned, eyebrows raised as though she were offended.

"Just… because," Kairi answered vaguely as she spun around and headed in the opposite direction. "Better get to class, see ya!" Before Yuri could say another word, she had woven into the crowd and was half way down the hallway.

"What do you think about it, Naminé?" Yuri rounded on her. "We all know Kairi is just mad because of the Sora thing…"

Naminé could feel the heat creeping up her scalp. It would soon be tingeing her cheeks pink, and Yuri would notice. Naminé was known for her flawless, pale skin, and any type of blush at all revealed that Naminé was hiding something.

"Well?" Yuri demanded impatiently.

"I… just don't know, Yuri," Naminé lied.

Yuri sighed, and ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair. "I guess I'll just have to think of another plan."

"Or you could always find another guy," Naminé blurted, not entirely sure why she had chosen to say something she knew would upset Yuri.

"No!" Yuri snapped. "I'll never give up on Roxas, ever!" She stormed away, leaving Naminé more alone than ever, despite the hallway crowded with other students.

Naminé couldn't help but notice the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the words Yuri had just said burned into her brain—she would _never_ give up on him… Naminé trudged to class, feeling as though she had lost something very important. Oh wait—she had. She sighed, and resolved to continue her search for her missing item later. Right now, she had to hustle to class to avoid receiving a tardy.

...ooo...

That day, lunch period was the most awkward it had ever been. Yuri was purposefully ignoring both Kairi and Naminé, and was all over Sora, Riku, and Roxas. Neither of the girls who were being unceremoniously shunned could get a word in edgewise.

"So, Riku," Yuri was saying. "I know you're in the music club—how is that? I'm not really liking the club I'm in right now—" she shot Kairi, the president of the fashion club, a nasty look, "—and I'm shopping for a new one."

"I don't know, I like it I guess," Riku shrugged.

Kairi exchanged a glance with Naminé. Both rolled their eyes and continued to pick at their lunches as Yuri babbled on about how unorganized the fashion club meetings were.

Roxas' thoughts were hovering around the diary—he was still debating whether it would be better to just turn it in. Even though he had resources—Sora in the literature and poetry club, Riku in the music club… the prospects were looking grim, and Roxas felt as though this was the calm before the storm. That strange feeling of foreboding—as though things involving the diary were about to get worse—is was got Roxas thinking.

He had to find who this belonged to, and he had to find her fast. _Her life must be off track without her thought organizer,_ he smiled as he thought to himself. _Guess I'll just have to work quickly…_

Kairi didn't go home from school that day. Instead, she drove from school to Riku's house, which was not far away. She wandered up his driveway, schoolbag slung over her shoulder, and rapped sharply on his front door. He answered it a moment later, a hassled look about him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can we… talk?"

"Yeah…" he answered slowly, allowing her to enter warily. "What about?"

"Just… things," she replied, shrugging. "We haven't talked or hung out for awhile."

Riku turned and led her down to his fully loaded basement—huge television, video game systems, the works. Pulling up chairs to the table situated in the corner furthest away from the entertainment things, they pulled out their homework and began to simply… talk.

...ooo...

Roxas' feeling of foreboding before had been almost a premonition. As a tall, petite girl with perfectly styled, non-frizzy black curls pulled open the door to the main office of Twilight High, the group of friends at the center of it all was about to get an extremely rude awakening. The girl smiled slyly to herself as she thought of the damage she had been sent there to do. The magic-like force that had seemingly drawn the group together back in grade school was not magic at all—it was destiny.

And Korin was about to mess with the destiny that had bound them together from the start.

...ooo...

Oh, it's destiny, eh? Korin is gonna mess with it! Writing this should be easier from now on, I just got a slew of ideas the other day, so hopefully the next update will come within a couple weeks... sorry again about the wait. I hope you keep reading/reviewing anyway:D

Thank you SO much for reading,

Lulala


	4. Friends forever and new girls for never

Wow, hello! Sorry it's been so long, again... I've been hard at work recently, as you'll soon see. This chapter is much longer than I intended it to be, but I couldn't find a good place to stop. Oh well. Special gift to you guys, cause of the long wait, yet again. XD I love the beginning of this one, it's cute :D

MEGA thank you to all reviewers! Keep up the good work :D

* * *

The first to meet were Riku and Naminé. 

Naminé's father had just gotten a phenomenal job offer in what was then a very small community known as Twilight Town. The town itself was like a puberty stricken teenager—it grew larger with every day that passed, and soon, it began to swell with new faces. Businesses went up overnight, and new families were all vying for a place in the newest town with the best opportunities. That particular mad rush, however, was nearly 16 years ago.

The wave of people slowly reduced to a trickle, and had remained that way ever since then. Naminé's father had received an offer he couldn't refuse, so, at the beginning of the rush, he and Naminé's mother collected their three-month-old baby girl and moved to the booming new town.

At barely four years of age, Naminé was invited to play with the only other child her age in her neighborhood—a young, adorable boy named Riku, who lived just across the street. Her mother took her over just after lunch, beaming all the way. Naminé had been a naturally quiet child, which was, of course, completely unnatural—who had ever heard of a child who was quiet? Her mother had been ecstatic to get her involved with other children her age.

She and Riku were introduced. Their parents kept a loose watch on them in Riku's backyard as they sat in his sandbox, exchanging their first words.

"I'm Naminé," she introduced herself timidly.

"I'm Riku!" he replied, grinning. "Do you like sand?"

"Yes," Naminé immediately answered, plopping herself down into the sand next to Riku. "I can dig really deep holes."

"Not as deep as me," Riku disagreed. "Let's race."

"If I win, you can be my best friend," Naminé suggested.

"But if I win, you can be mine," Riku said, smiling a little.

"Okay… go!"

…And that was the first time that any of them spoke to each other. Introductions to Sora, Roxas, and Kairi came shortly after, and the small group remained inseparable throughout their grade school years. Even when middle school hit and most groups of friends were experiencing rifts or dissolving completely, our favorite five youngsters hung tough and remained closer than ever. Yuri, added into the mix near the end of 7th grade, had fit in nicely, though, somehow, they had not been drawn to her as they had always been drawn to each other…

Deep within, they knew that they would be friends forever, and nothing could tear them apart. Friendships that had been thriving since they still played in sandboxes didn't usually bust up particularly easily. Oblivious to how deep their friendship truly ran, it was never thought that the truth would be revealed to them…

The truth, at this point, however, is inevitable.

* * *

Riku and Kairi's talk had lasted till dinnertime. She couldn't stand keeping all of the secrets—she spilled her guts to one of her oldest friends, and felt great about it. Normally, she would confide in Naminé, because telling a secret to Naminé was as if you had never told anyone—she was notoriously good at keeping secrets. 

The main thing that Kairi had wanted to talk about was Yuri. Her "thing" with Roxas was getting out of control, and she had been considering taking advantage of Riku's friendship. Kairi couldn't let Yuri purposefully hurt Riku, so she decided the best course of action would be to warn Riku—and, Riku being Riku, the message would reach Sora within a matter of hours, and the group would be forced to think of a way to help their friend.

Which was, of course, loads better than Yuri using someone.

* * *

That night, Roxas couldn't help but delve deeper into the girl's diary—he kept hoping that she would slip up and reveal something small about herself that could give him something to go by. At last, he found what he was looking for: 

_It's as though looks are all that matters. I mean, really, girls rave about my "gorgeous blonde hair", but really, I don't deserve it nearly as much as one of them. I don't treasure it as they would. I don't style it in any fancy way, or try to flaunt it at all. Quite frankly, my hair deserves better, as odd as that sounds._

Jackpot. She was blonde. Feeling much better about his situation, Roxas went to bed, but couldn't sleep—thoughts of a beautiful blonde girl were stirring in his head, ripping away sleep and forcing him to lie awake for the majority of the night, wishing very much that he knew who she was.

* * *

The next morning was going to mark one of the most important days of these young five peoples' lives, though none of them knew it. Naminé straightened her hair in a flash, as usual, and let it hang in a simple, natural style, as usual. Kairi changed four times, as usual. Riku took a great deal of time to do his hair, getting up around the same time as most of the girls, as he did every other day. Sora simply rolled out of bed, ruffled his hair to perfection, and pulled on whatever he could find. Roxas did a much more organized and careful version of what Sora did each morning—carefully messing up his hair, choosing his outfit from his neatly organized closet. 

None of them had any idea that this ordinary day could change their lives as they knew them.

Upon their arrival to school, Roxas once again split from the group to return to the spot where he had found the diary. Sure, there would be loads of blonde girls around, but perhaps, by some off chance, he might spot one with a patch on her backpack indicating that she was a Smashing Pumpkins fan…

Before long, just as he had the day before, he ran into Naminé, who, for once, did not seem put together at all, but seemed in a hurry. "Morning, Roxas," she said cheerfully, giving him a little wave.

He smiled. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Oh, I know… I guess we just turn up in the same place around the same time each morning!"

Roxas could sense somehow that Naminé, after 12 years of friendship, was finally coming out of her shell. She was suddenly more expressive and putting much more emotion into her words than she had the day before. Roxas had never hear Naminé speaking expressively in all 12 years that he had known her.

"How are you doing today?" he asked, still smiling a little. He had finally cracked Naminé's shell!

"Well, to be honest, I'm a little bit… confused," Naminé told him slowly, as though she was thinking over her answer to this question extremely carefully. "How about you?"

"The usual," Roxas shrugged. "Hoping Yuri doesn't find me, praying that I didn't fail anything…"

This inspired a spirited laugh from Naminé. Since when did Naminé laugh? "Oh Roxas, I'm sure you didn't fail. You're just as intelligent as Sora, and he's never failed a thing!"

He chuckled a little at that. "Or so you think. Maybe I'm just a good actor."

"No, you're horrible," she confessed. "One of the worst liars I know, actually."

"Aren't we in an honest mood today," he said teasingly. "Really, though, was that supposed to be a burn?"

"A little," she smiled slyly and raised a flirty eyebrow.

Roxas almost fell over. What had gotten into her this morning? Whatever it was, he could now see why Sora had such a great friendship with her—she was really quite talkative once you got her going.

The warning bell clanged, and Roxas mentally smacked himself as all of his classmates, who had been gathered around this particular area, scattered off. How could he have let Naminé distract him? "Guess I'd better get to class," he said, starting off in the direction of his first period class. "See you later!"

"Yeah, bye!" she called after him, heading in the opposite direction. She popped her earbuds into her ears and selected one of her favorite bands from the long list on her iPod. The Smashing Pumpkins blared into her ears as she tried to drown out the horrible sinking feeling inside of her—she had been distracted from the search for her diary by Roxas yet again. Oh well—at least Yuri hadn't turned up yet.

* * *

When Roxas got to first period, Sora was already there. He was reclined in his seat, a blank look about him. Roxas followed his seemingly blank line of vision, only to find him staring at a student who was obviously new. Her long, black curls tumbled down her back and around her face becomingly. She wore just the right amount of makeup to compliment her exceedingly pale skin, and knew just how to dress her tall, thin frame. Her jeans seemed to fit just right, and she wore a classy, cropped black shirt with baggy sleeves, a long, white tank top, and accessorized with an oversized black belt over the tank top. Her small, pointy-toed black heels finished the look. Even Roxas couldn't help but notice that she was very good looking. 

"Class," the teacher called out. "This is Korin, and she's just transferred in from up North, so please make her feel welcome!"

The class stared—the boys in awe, the girls in raging jealousy.

"Korin, why don't you take the seat next to Sora?" the teacher suggested brightly, gesturing towards the empty seat next to Sora.

"Okay, thank you," Korin replied politely, taking her seat. She smiled at Sora becomingly, and he jumped about a foot off of his chair.

Though Korin was pretty, there was something about her that was off to Roxas. Perhaps she wasn't as nice as she seemed, or was the type to talk about you a lot when you weren't around. Similar to Yuri, he thought to himself with a mental sigh. That was the last thing this school needed: another Yuri…

If the vibes Roxas was getting from Korin were correct, he figured it would probably be in his best interest to be nice to her—after all, he couldn't have people talking behind his back. That bothered him more than anything, sadly enough.

Sora seemed to be getting along with her okay—the teacher had assigned him to help explain the homework assignment to her. Roxas could hear most of the conversation, and could tell that the last thing she wanted to talk about was homework.

"So, who do you hang around with?" she asked casually.

"Mostly Roxas and Riku," Sora replied. "I don't really know if you know Riku, but Roxas is right over there…" he jabbed his thumb in Roxas' direction.

"What, no girls?" Korin prodded playfully.

"Oh, yeah… one of my best friends is a girl, actually… her name is Naminé… we also hang around a lot with Kairi and Yuri."

"I don't really know any of these people, but they must be cool, since you seem pretty nice," Korin said, half shrugging.

"They're the best," Sora said earnestly. "You'll have to meet them… have you found out which lunch you have?"

"I've got… second," Korin replied, quickly pulling out her schedule and examining it.

"Then you should sit with us, we've all got second," Sora suggested brightly.

Roxas was shocked. Though they were all nice, welcoming people, they had never allowed someone new to sit at their lunch table. They were tight, and normally, there was no disrupting the careful order of their lunch arrangements. The last time the order had been disrupted was when Yuri joined the group in 7th grade—and look how that had turned out. _Oh, well. Throw in a beautiful girl, and just like that—traditions can be shattered._

Roxas decided to tune the rest of the conversation out and begin on his work. As Korin continued to sweeten up to Sora, Roxas was feeling uneasy. There was something about her, he knew there was… he just couldn't place it.

* * *

Naminé stood next to Kairi in the hallway during their next passing time, leaning against the lockers and looking glum. Yuri was still refusing to speak to either of them, despite several desperate phone calls and text messages the night before. Though normally, this would be cause for celebration—Naminé hated hearing about how much Yuri "loved" Roxas—this fight had a particularly strong hold over her. 

"She just needs help," Kairi murmured to Naminé. "She's out of control, know what I mean?"

Naminé nodded. "In the mean time, I suppose we could… talk about that new girl, if you want…"

Kairi jumped at this. "I'm surprised, you never gossip! But anyway, since you offered—"

Naminé laughed. "Yeah, I know. Continue."

Ecstatic, Kairi spoke in a steady stream, spilling all she had managed to find out about this new girl that was causing a buzz through the general male population of the school. "Comes from the inner city school system, apparently… a private school, which means she is rich, but you could have seen that by her clothes! I mean, really, designer heels? Who wears stuff like that to school?"

"Oh I know, it's ridiculous," said Naminé, beside herself.

"She must just be trying to impress everybody. If you think about it, I guess, it's working… everyone is talking about her! The guys already love her, the girls already hate her… everyone should just lock up their boyfriends if you ask me…"

Naminé stifled a giggle. If this was what it was like to be in with Kairi and Yuri, she was happy that she had managed to stay away from this kind of thing for the most part. Talking about whether someone should wear designer heels to school or not just seemed utterly ridiculous to Naminé.

The other students were passing in throngs, and as some walked by, Naminé could catch the occasional conversation about the new girl. Kairi continued to babble all the way until the warning bell went off. She and Naminé scattered off to class. Naminé promised herself never to offer to talk about someone with Kairi or Yuri again… assuming Yuri ever calmed down and spoke to her again at all.

* * *

As Korin was retrieving her lunch, she was carefully watching the group that Sora was talking to. She dug deep into her gut, summoning her powers, and immediately identified the one who did not belong—the tall, loud blonde. She had been slightly confused when she arrived—there were, after all, only supposed to be five people. Thankfully, finding the person who did not belong had been much easier than she had anticipated. She did not possess a trace of the gift that the others had, and it was easy to tell. 

She carefully selected which sandwich she wanted, and was analyzing what the best way would be to stir up the most trouble. It seemed that her best option would be either Sora or Riku, the gorgeous, silver-haired boy with whom she had flirted shamelessly upon meeting. Sora seemed the better option, mainly because the red headed girl, Kairi, had an obvious crush on him, and the other blonde—the quiet one—had an extremely strong friendship with him.

Narrowing her eyes as she thought of the last time she and Naminé had met, she grabbed her milk and continued through the line. She wanted to wreck Naminé more than anything, but knew that acting on old grudges would most certainly lose her the job she had been assigned. At any rate, if she could get Riku to fall for her, and then pursue Sora… yes, that would be the best way to wreck them… Kairi would be angry, Naminé would be hurt and pushed aside, and Riku would be pissed off.

She didn't feel even a tinge of remorse as she solidified her plan inside of her brain—she had been sent here to separate them, and that was what she intended to do. After all, they were much stronger together than apart, and if that annoying man, Leon, were to find them while they were still together, the results would be catastrophic.

When she arrived at the table, the look Roxas cast her sent her reeling—how could he know? Did he suspect? She remembered well of his power, but couldn't imagine that it was useable to him at the present time, unless…

He had broken into his powers on his own.

* * *

Naminé decided rather quickly that she hated Korin. She wasn't sure where this hot, bubbling feeling of hatred had come from, but she knew that for some odd reason that she couldn't place, Korin was now one of her least favorite people that she knew of. It wasn't that Sora and Riku were completely losing themselves, because the fact that Roxas wasn't was enough to keep her happy. There was just… something very wrong with Korin, and with the way that Roxas was looking at her, she could tell that he could feel it, as well. 

"Hey, Roxas, would you come with me to the library for a few minutes?" Naminé asked the moment he finished his lunch. "You're the only one that's finished, and I don't want to go alone."

"You don't want to go alone?" Sora repeated, tearing his away from Korin for a moment to offer this confused remark.

"Yeah," Naminé said awkwardly, brushing her hair behind her ears. "So, Roxas?"

As Yuri glared at her, Roxas reluctantly agreed, and they got up and left the lunchroom.

The moment they were out of the room, Naminé put her suspicions out in the open. "Something is weird about her."

"Oh my God, I'm not the only one who thinks so," Roxas said, shocked. "I thought everyone would just love her or something…"

"I'm not like everyone," Naminé reminded him. "I hate her, and I don't know why."

"I just feel so… uneasy… when she's around," Roxas said slowly. "I don't really know how to place this feeling."

"Well, luckily enough for us, she's getting to be best of friends with Sora," Naminé said bitterly.

"A little bit angry?" Roxas asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Just a little," Naminé replied, brushing her hair behind her ears distractedly.

Once again, Roxas noticed the life that had recently lit up Naminé—never had she been so talkative in his presence before that day. He had noticed the glare Yuri had shot Naminé when they had left the cafeteria, and that only wove the web of confusion even thicker for Roxas. Naminé was suddenly talking, Yuri was angry at her best friends, and a mystery girl had shown up at their school, arousing dislike from both him and Naminé…

Things were just getting weirder and weirder, weren't they? He thought of the diary safely tucked in his backpack, and vaguely wondered what the amazing girl was doing right at that moment…

* * *

_Hey there, Delilah, what's it like in New York City?  
I'm a thousand miles away, but girl, tonight you look so pretty,  
Yes you do_…

Sora stood near the door of his last period class, headphones on, listening to The Plain White T's. The clock continued to tick—two more minutes until school was over…

Korin was confusing. Sora had always thought that he had liked Kairi, but Korin messed with his head. His heart was telling him that Kairi was the right girl for him, because she was, thankfully, much deeper than she seemed… "Hey There Delilah" was her favorite Plain White T's song… they had sang it together at the concert they had been to together just last week…

_Hey there, Delilah, I've got so much left to say,  
__If every simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away,  
__I'd write it all,  
__Even more in love with me you'd fall,  
__we'd have it all…_

Somehow, though, when Korin was around, Kairi was pushed from his head, and he couldn't think straight at all. He didn't even think that Korin was as pretty as Kairi—to him, Kairi was the prettiest girl in school…

_Girls. Can't live with 'em. _He thought to himself. _Wait—I'll talk to Naminé. She gives the best advice in the whole world._ Whipping out his cell phone, he began to rapidly text message Naminé.

Four classrooms down the hall from Sora, Naminé's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out—the teacher wasn't watching, and there was only about half a minute left of school—and quickly texted back her reply. Her fingers flew across the small keys, which clicked softly each time she pressed a button. She eagerly accepted Sora's invitation to hang out with him, since she really wanted to have a talk with him about Korin. She quickly sent Kairi a message saying that she would not need a ride, and met Sora directly after class, an anxious feeling resting deep in the pit of her stomach. What was he going to say about Korin? Would he tell her that he felt the same way as she and Roxas did? Or worse…

Would he say that he actually liked her?

_Could_ he say that?

* * *

Uh-oh... what in the world is going on in Twilight Town? Weird new girls with horrible intentions are turning up, Yuri's going insane, and Namine's diary is STILL missing! What exactly are the "powers" that Korin is referring to, and what part does Leon play in all of this? Guess what you gotta do to find out? Keep reading:D Review if you'd like!

Thank you,

Lulala


	5. Disgustingly accurate intuition

I did my best to get this up quickly for you all :D

THANK YOU, REVIEWERS, for making my day!!

This chapter has a LOT of backstory and information in it, so it's a pretty important one. Hope you enjoy!

Here tis--chapter five!!

* * *

Hollow Bastion—a thriving world, far away, and inaccessible to nearly everyone. The land itself, deeply infused with ancient magic, was enough to drive many to attempt to enter the well-known world. However, even if they managed to lift the enormous enchantments placed on the world by the Queen, harnessing the dormant, ancient magic would be nearly impossible. The Queen, as well as a select few other witches and magicians, were the only ones who knew how to use the magic. When unleashed, the magic could do terrible things and cause great destruction—or, as the Queen preferred to use it, to protect her world and herself.

Enchantments, however, can be broken, as exhibited by a group called simply, "The Adherence", which was an organization of witches, warriors, and magicians who managed to break into the peaceful world of Hollow Bastion. The name of the organization hid the true intentions of the group. The only thing they were interested in was the sacred magic and land of Hollow Bastion. The Queen, constantly under threat of kidnapping, could not protect herself with magic after The Adherence entered—they had broken her strongest protection spells that had been placed to keep people like them out of the world, and would obviously be able to break a weaker one.

That was when the five teenagers that would change Hollow Bastion forever were found.

It had long been said that those who could call the keyblade to them would risk their lives to protect the Queen. Four keyblade wielders and an exceptionally talented witch were discovered near the castle one evening, just after sunset, mere days after the spell on the world had been penetrated. One look at them and the Queen knew—they were the only way that Hollow Bastion would survive.

She had other faithful warriors that had been in her service for years—Leon, wielder of the gunblade, Aerith, an extremely skilled witch, and Yuffi, a quick, loud-mouthed ninja. Occasionally, her friend Cloud would swing through, but at the moment, he wasn't anywhere near Hollow Bastion. Either way, the five teenagers were more than eager to help her, and soon, they became the most powerful and feared fighters in all of Hollow Bastion.

Three boys, all wielders of the keyblade—each had his own strength. One was better with magic, one was stronger, and one had amazing battle tactics, and could think extremely quickly on his feet.

Two girls, one a wielder of the keyblade and expert healer, the other a witch—second to only the Queen, with eyes that glowed red whenever she harnessed the ancient magic of Hollow Bastion.

Was it possible that her life could rest in the hands of five teenagers? Strangely, when she thought of the protection they could offer, she didn't fear for her life at all… not even a little.

* * *

Roxas was pleasantly surprised to find Naminé waiting for him with Sora and Riku after school. She and Riku were having spirited conversation, laughing every so often, while Sora was looking quite bothered by something or another. Roxas supposed it had something to do with Kairi—she was, after all, not the happiest camper that Sora was hanging around with Korin.

The ride home seemed longer than usual. Roxas was busy thinking about mystery girl, Sora was distracted by something or other, and Riku and Naminé were making forced conversation as the two silent boys sat there awkwardly. Roxas was more than relieved to get out of the car and back to the safety of his room.

Naminé and Sora rode from Riku's to Sora's house in silence. He had put on one of Kairi's favorite bands, The Plain White T's, and was softly singing along to the songs with an odd look on his face. His garage door lifted open sluggishly, and he pulled the car in. Naminé followed him through the door and into his house. Sora kicked off his shoes and led the way to the kitchen. "What can I get you?" he asked her.

"Just a can of pop, I suppose," she answered warily as his bad mood began to show through in his tone.

"Sounds good," he said, sounding as though he were trying to fight back whatever was making him upset. "Hey, listen, can I talk to you about Korin?"

"Of course," Naminé said, taking the can of Coke he offered her. His younger brother and sister were still at school, so they had the house to themselves. They settled at Sora's large, dark colored dining room table, situating themselves across from each other.

"Well… she's new," Sora began. "She just came today, right? So why is she getting to me already?"

Naminé ignored the hatred bubbling up somewhere in the back of her mind at the mention of Korin. "Getting to you in what way?"

"It's just… when she's around, it's like… the way I feel about Kairi… I don't feel it anymore…"

Naminé's brow furrowed. "Sora, are you sure? I mean, it could just be because she's pretty and new and you're nervous—"

"Are you kidding me? Nervous? I don't even look at other girls, because I'm just not interested," he reminded her.

"That's right," Naminé murmured. "You really do like Kairi, don't you?"

"Well, now, I'm not so sure," Sora answered sadly. "Because when Korin is around, I just can't look away."

"Sounds… not normal," Naminé commented. "I think there's something strange about her, and Roxas feels it too. We should all just stay away."

"I hope I can. I don't like feeling confused like this."

"Nobody does, Sora."

"What about you? Are you confused?"

Naminé wrinkled up her nose. "Me? What do I have to be confused about?"

Sora cast her a knowing look. "Come on. Yuri's mad, and you've seemed a little off in the past few days. Whenever I talk to you, you seem really distracted."

Naminé was floored by his perceptiveness. "What are you talking about?" she said evasively instead of spilling what was really going on.

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell me. Riku thinks you like someone, but at least I defended you… I told him there was no way."

"Thanks, I guess," she shrugged. "Riku can think what he wants."

"Holy crap, Naminé. You do! Who is it?"

She covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat creep up her scalp, as usual. Oh, did it ever suck to be pale at a time like this. "I don't!" she protested. "It's just… it's really complicated, Sora…"

"Just tell me what's up," he insisted. "I just spilled my guts all over you, and now it's your turn. Seriously, what's bothering you?"

Naminé rolled her eyes a little. "Fine. I lost my notebook. There."

Sora squinted at her. "Notebook, or diary?"

Naminé sighed. "Diary."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Have you checked the lost and found?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Well, if someone sees your name in it, they'll return it… right?" Sora said uncertainly.

"That's the problem!" Naminé said exasperatedly. "I wrote it anonymously in case anyone ever did find it!"

"Holy crap, Naminé! How are you gonna find it?"

"I have no idea," she sighed wearily. "I've looked and looked, but… I just don't know what to do. If someone finds out that it's me, what will they think?"

"I don't know… I guess we'll just have to get it back then, won't we?" he smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I guess we will," Naminé agreed, feeling much better now that Sora was offering to help her in the impossible search for the misplaced notebook. "We'll find my notebook, and you'll tell Kairi how you feel!" She grinned.

"Yeah, I'll—WHAT?"

Naminé giggled. "I think you'd be surprised how things could turn out if you just follow your heart."

Sora shrugged a little. "Same for you, little miss I-have-an-oh-so-secret-crush-and-won't-tell-my best-friend."

* * *

After school, Korin marched down the hall, heels clicking loudly, towards the bathroom. Nearly everyone had left by that time, and she was more than a little ticked that she had to wait for everyone to leave before she could use magic to transport herself back to the house she was using.

She pushed the door to the bathroom open, chose a stall, and locked the door. Sighing, she snapped her fingers, and disappeared. Moments later, across town, she reappeared in the living room of a nice, brand new house, looking annoyed. She kicked off her shoes and left them lying in the middle of the floor. She padded across the plush, white carpet of the living room towards the kitchen.

_Lucky I got this place_, she thought to herself. _It's pretty nice, actually._

She pulled open the fridge, and sighed again—empty. "Don't tell me I actually have to go grocery shopping," she mumbled, agitated.

She focused, and snapped her fingers. The fridge was instantly full of food. "Nice! Didn't know that one would work here… I mean, this place is devoid of all magic…"

Exhausted, she slowly wandered back out to the living room, and plopped down in a plush, white chair. Her thoughts and recollections from her first day of school began bouncing around inside her brain. The people she had met didn't seem at all like the ones she remembered fighting as though it were yesterday…

Naminé's glowing eyes that she was so accustomed to were nothing but crystal blue here—how she hated it. She wanted nothing more than to finish Naminé off. Of the five, she hated Naminé the most. The grudge wasn't about jealousy—it was a family matter. Korin's brother, Hiro, had been very near to killing Roxas at one point, and Naminé had seen fit to step in on their fight. Eyes the most intense red they had ever been, she fired a powerful spell that Korin had never seen, and killed Hiro with one blast.

Fighting back tears as she thought of the day her brother died, she promised herself that the Queen would be found eventually, and they would have full control of Hollow Bastion—Hiro would not have died in vain… Hana and Tomoko, Korin's partners, were still in Hollow Bastion searching for the missing Queen, and she would be found any day now… they would have the ancient magic and control the world…

The plan had been perfect. A man named Leon, however, had ruined everything. Shortly after Hiro had been killed, the Queen disappeared, and her guardians had been sent to the human world, to lead "normal" lives. Luckily, however, Korin had found them…

And what was the best way to bring back the most powerful group of fighters Hollow Bastion had ever seen? In pieces, of course. She couldn't kill them in the human world, but if they were all brought back to Hollow Bastion, she and her partners could do whatever they wanted… The likelihood of them coming together was slim, but if she managed to break them up, bringing them back would be that much easier...

* * *

Naminé awoke the next morning, her disgustingly accurate intuition telling her that it was going to be a very bad day indeed. Her recurring dream in which a witch with long, black hair tried to murder her several times, had turned up again the previous night, and this time, Naminé couldn't write about it in her diary. The strange feeling of foreboding that was stirring deep within her stomach bothered her until she got to school and found Yuri waiting for her by the door.

"Nami!" Yuri squealed, flattening Naminé with a hug. "I'm so sorry about the whole fighting thing!"

Naminé rolled her eyes. If she had a dime for every time Yuri had said that…

"It's all right, Yuri," she said, patting Yuri's back. "You can talk to Kairi and I anytime, you know that, right? We're happy to help."

Sometimes, being as nice and caring as she was annoyed her.

"Oh, I know," Yuri said, tears welling up in her eyes. "And I do need to talk to you guys, really badly! Do you think maybe at lunch we could…"

"Of course," Naminé said, smiling a little. _Crap, curse my kindness_… she thought.

Yuri sniffed a little, and the tears didn't dissolve instantly as they normally did when she was faking tears for sympathy. The idea that she may actually be truly sorry crossed Naminé's mind for a moment, but she vetoed it quickly. "Thank you so much! I feel better already, knowing that I'll get to talk to my best friends… oh, hey, look! I met this girl yesterday, she's awesome—Korin! Hey, Korin, over here!"

Naminé felt her insides sink as Korin acknowledged Yuri and made her way down the hallway towards them.

"Morning Yuri, Naminé," she said brightly. "How are you guys?"

"Great!" Yuri said, smiling.

As Korin looked Naminé in the eye, she felt a sudden lurch in the pit of her stomach—and for a fleeting moment, Korin looked familiar… Just was quickly as the strange feeling came, it was gone. Korin turned back toward Yuri, leaving Naminé to stew over what had just happened.

"That's good! I really like this school… I hope I can find my way around easier today than yesterday…" Korin said.

"It's always easier the second day," Yuri told her reassuringly. "I remember my first day freshman year…"

They launched into an involved discussion about getting lost in the school, and Naminé slipped away to go have another look around for her notebook. It was most likely long gone by now, but there was no harm in looking, was there?

Either way, the fact that Yuri was becoming best friends with Korin made Naminé's breakfast sit uneasily. And what was that feeling? For some reason, it seemed as though she had met Korin's eyes in the same manner before…

* * *

Eyeing the back of Korin's head with intense dislike, Roxas felt unexplainably enraged as she talked and laughed with Sora and Riku a few steps ahead of him in the hallway after second period. He was certain he wasn't jealous of the attention that she was paying them—the girl to whom the diary belonged had his undivided attention at the moment. Normally, he was a kind person, and wouldn't hate someone he barely knew without reason.

Naminé was right. There was something very off about Korin, and as he saw the look Riku was giving her, a thought popped into his head. Could it be possible that Korin was trying to… stir things up? No, that didn't seem right… She didn't know anything about their group, and if she did, she'd know that they were so tightly knit that they were like family. Everyone knew that it was impossible to break up family… right?

That day, Naminé, Kairi, and Yuri hadn't turned up at the table for lunch, much to Roxas' dismay. His face propped on his hand, he slipped off into a daydream, completely ignoring the lighthearted conversation being made by Korin, Sora, and Riku. His thoughts strayed back to the diary—he had originally planned to stop reading it all together and put forth his best efforts to find the owner, but… curiosity was getting the better of him. The glimpse into a girl's head had been not only interesting, but helpful as well. Crazy things that girls around him did were suddenly making more sense, as the mystery girl had gone very in-depth in a more recent entry about the way that girls worked, pointing out how utterly ridiculous it really was.

Everything she said made sense, and for Roxas, understanding a girl was a whole new concept—then again, Yuri had been following him around for quite awhile, and that was about as crazy as you could get.

It was useless to try to fight it any longer—he obviously had some type of thing for this girl. If only he could meet her!

Naminé and Kairi cast each other knowing looks as Yuri rushed into the library later than planned.

"Sorry, ran into Korin," she apologized quickly. "Anyway… I wanted to talk to you guys and tell you… you were right."

"We were?" Kairi and Naminé said together.

"Yeah… you were. As much as I hate to admit it, you two have been right all along. Last night, I thought about it for awhile, and…"

"Realized that using other people isn't the best way to get what you want?" Kairi offered.

Yuri gave her a sarcastic look. "No. I felt really odd, and realized… you know, I guess Roxas isn't the person for me. There are plenty of other guys out there!"

Naminé's jaw missed the ground by mere inches as it dropped wide open. "No way. Are you serious?"

"I'm serious," Yuri affirmed, nodding. "I guess since he doesn't realize how great I am, I'll find someone better… don't you guys think?"

Kairi felt happiness swelling inside of her—they could all be friends again, and things could go back to the way they were… "That's great, Yuri! I'm really happy for you."

"And now I can go back to being… me," she said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to that."

"We're both looking forward to you being you again, too," Kairi said happily. "We missed you!"

"Yeah, sorry about all the craziness," Yuri said, embarrassed. "I just… to be honest, I'm not sure why I did it…"

_I wonder what brought this sudden change about_, Naminé thought to herself. _Oh well. I have my friend back, and hopefully, they'll get back to talking about clothes and I can get back to writing—wait. My notebook is still missing… _

* * *

Happy to be reunited with her friends, Yuri swung open the door to her house merrily and hurried inside. She slipped off her shoes, and headed straight for her room—her mother wouldn't allow her any time on the phone unless her homework was finished.

Strangely, she had also wondered why she had felt so differently about the whole Roxas thing. Just days before, she felt more strongly about him than anything else, and now… her feelings towards him were purely platonic. How anyone could flip-flop that fast, she had no idea. Either way, she was delighted that she could stop worry about what Roxas would say or do, and what Roxas would think about this, and what he was talking about with that other girl…

She placed her hand on the doorknob of her room, and suddenly felt her stomach wrench into an extremely tight knot. _Strange_… She turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open.

"Oh!" she shrieked, horrified to find a man with long, brown hair sitting anxiously in her favorite blue chair. As she took in the sight of the man—he was dressed in all black and looked very threatening indeed—she found that her legs had become basically paralyzed beneath her. She couldn't move, and suddenly, she couldn't make any noise…

The stranger stood up. "Yuri, is it?" He walked over to her, and looked her straight in the eye. "Ah, I knew it was you. Anyway, I think maybe we should have a talk."

* * *

...This may seem to get more confusing by the minute, but, believe me, I know what I'm doing. But you don't, not yet. :P You gotta read chapter six, coming soon, to find out!! Review, please, thank you for reading!

Thank youuu,

Lulala


	6. Weren't you paying attention?

Hello :D

And here I am again. Celebrate with me, for things are finally going to get rolling here! Next chapter will be the chapter with an enormous explanation at the beginning, so hopefully, any confusion so far will be taken care of.

Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing!!! I'm really happy, feedback for this story seems to be pretty positive. I always like any kind of feedback, but positive especially! I really like this story, and I hope you do, too. :D

* * *

"So, you see, we need your help." 

Yuri eyed the man reproachfully. "You need… me? Are you sure?"

He sighed exasperatedly. "YES! Weren't you paying attention through that whole schpeal?"

"Of course I was," she assured him. "I just… it seems like you're just some stranger who broke into my house and is trying to get a very freaky laugh out of this… or maybe, you're—"

"What kind of a creep would make up a story like this?" he asked.

"Hmm, true," she admitted. "It's hard to believe that stuff like this actually exists, though. You really can't blame me for being… skeptical."

"Okay, all right. Will you help, or not? Cause if you won't, I suppose I could go directly to your friends…"

Yuri thought on this, but only for a moment. Being a generally kind girl, when not completely caught up in her own problems, that is, she gave the answer she would nearly always give. "Sure, I'll do what I can. Quick question, though."

"There's only so much I can say, since someone untrustworthy is around here, I can sense… but I'll do my best to answer it."

"You're sitting here, in the flesh, telling me this to my face, right?" Yuri said. "Well, I still don't believe it, really—how will I get them to believe it's more than just me being crazy?"

He smiled. "Yuri. These are the types of things you're good at. Or, at least, you were. Trust me… just think, concentrate… and you'll be able to do it."

More thoroughly confused than ever, Yuri shrugged. "Not entirely what I was looking for, but better than nothing. I'll take it, either way."

He continued to smile, as though he had done her a great service. _Right. A fat lot of help that was_.

"I'll try," she said, smiling a little as she thought of her friends' reactions.

"I'll be around, so just call for me if you need me… gotta figure out where that nasty witch is, wouldn't want her to hurt you…"

"Why would I matter? It sounds like my friends are the important ones, not me."

He smiled again. "This is only the beginning. You'll find out a lot about yourself, hopefully soon. That's why we can't have witches running around after you. Make sense?"

Yuri nodded slowly. "I still can't believe I'm actually going to do this…"

"Just get them here, I suppose, and I'll explain everything."

"Easy enough," she shrugged. "They'll be here tomorrow after school. Should I just call for you?"

"Sounds good, I'll be waiting!" Without a sound, he disappeared, leaving a confused and disbelieving Yuri in his wake.

* * *

That evening, Naminé sat in her room, curtains flung open, staring at Riku's illuminated window across the street. She knew he was up, it was only 9:00. She grabbed at her cell phone, and sent him a quick message. In a matter of minutes, she was walking purposefully across the street, wearing the shirt she had worn to school and baggy comfy pants. He was waiting on his front porch for her. 

"How are you?" he asked her, sitting on his front step.

She seated herself next to him. "Well… I don't know," she replied vaguely.

"What's up?" he asked, line of worry etched between his eyebrows. "I mean, lately, you've seemed bothered."

"I woke up this morning with a really bad feeling in my stomach… and then I went to school, and had this weird feeling when Korin looked at me…"

Riku, thankfully, seemed to understand what she was saying. "I think I get what you mean. I feel like there's this weird tension when she's around. I try to be cool, but…"

"That makes Sora and Yuri the only ones who don't sense something odd about her," Naminé casually pointed out. "I mean, Kairi doesn't like her because she seems interested in Sora, but... what should we do about it?"

"Yuri… there was definitely something wrong with Yuri today. I mean, giving up on Roxas? What came over her? I honestly never thought I'd live to see the day."

"You knew about that?"

Riku smiled a little. "We talked while you guys were fighting. A lot."

"I don't know what's up with her, but I like it. Things can finally be normal again," Naminé said, relieved.

"True," Riku agreed. "At the same time, though… something's up."

"We've got to get rid of Korin," Naminé said after a moment of silent thought. "Somehow, I feel like she's the cause of all of our problems."

"I don't think we need to get rid of her," Riku said, "I just think we should try to figure out what bugs all of us so much."

Naminé gave him a look. "All right. Why does she bother _you_, Riku?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I think it's because I feel like she's trying to stir things up between Sora and I."

Naminé felt a ping in the back of her brain—Riku had it the nail on the head. "Riku! That's exactly it! Crud, why didn't I notice before?"

Riku chuckled a little. "I don't know. It's not really obvious, she's pretty subtle about it. She'll kind of… try to get under my skin when Sora's not around, but when he is, she completely ignores me and is all over him. That kind of thing."

"How incredibly perceptive of you," Naminé murmured. "I would never have noticed."

"Oh, you would have," Riku said darkly. "If it were someone you were theoretically supposed to like, ignoring you completely…"

"What exactly do you mean by 'theoretically'?"

"Well, think about it. The whole point of her game is to make both of us like her. I just threw a wrench in the plan when I figured her out."

"You wouldn't have liked her anyway though, right?"

Riku shrugged. "I don't know, probably not."

Naminé smiled a little. "Well, at least you agree with me."

"Yeah, we've gotta figure something out, I guess… can't have her trying to wreck friendships here, I mean, we've been friends literally forever…" Riku mused.

"I remember the day we met," Naminé said, giggling. "Sandboxes were so much fun back then."

Riku laughed a little. "Ah, if only life were as simple now as in the days of the sandbox."

* * *

That night, Roxas continued to read the writings of mystery girl. For the first time, he ran across description of one of her dreams, and found himself slightly disturbed. 

_A frightening dream somehow managed to wake me up last night, which never happens. Usually, I'm out like a light faster than you can tell me to get to sleep. Last night, though, was different. I turned out my light and lay down, and started to feel extremely odd… almost as though I were about to be sick. It took quite a while for me to finally drift off to sleep. When, at last, I was sleeping well, I was interrupted rudely by this dream… Only after I had it last night did I realize that I have had it many times before…_

_A woman with shining black hair accuses me of killing one she loved. I look positively frightening—my eyes are glowing red, and my hair was much shorter than it is in real life… it wasn't smooth and shiny, but messy and choppy. The wind began to blow as she cursed at me. Before I could argue with her—you see, real life or not, I'm not a murderer—she attacked me. I fought back best I could, using complex magical spells that felt very familiar to me. She hit me with something I wasn't expecting, and I was killed._

_I can't believe I have this dream of fighting this woman so often, and that I never remembered it until just now. Perhaps that could be because I've never died before tonight. I think I would remember if I had died, maybe… no, the others ended with me winning and boy's voice thanking me, but I never did remember seeing the boy's face._

_Why did I choose last night to die?_

Roxas couldn't help but think of Korin. She seemed as though she could kill you, if she really tried…

Feeling disgusted with himself, Roxas put away the diary. What would he say if she asked him if he had read it…?

* * *

Yuri woke up the next morning, not entirely sure she believed what had happened to her the night before. Sure, the guy had seemed perfectly believable, but… things like this just didn't happen in real life. Everyone wished they did, until they actually did… because once they did, there was no waking up from it. It was reality, and dangerous, and Yuri didn't like to hear that there was a woman around who would do anything to make sure that they didn't live for much longer… 

She readied herself for school, preparing what she would say to her friends in her head. It wouldn't be difficult to get them to her house after school, but to explain to them what was actually going on was going to be difficult.

* * *

The moment Sora, Riku, and Roxas arrived at school, they ran into Korin. "Hey, morning guys! Morning, Sora!" she said brightly. 

"Morning," he said unenthusiastically.

_Oh man_, Roxas thought, _now there's something wrong with **him**_!

None of them seemed keen to talk to her, and she got the picture pretty quickly—she disappeared with a quick wave goodbye just as quickly as she had appeared.

Roxas was lucky enough to get the double whammy that morning—Yuri turned up just after that. "Hey, Roxas, can we talk?" she asked nervously.

_Great, here it comes_… "Sure," he agreed reluctantly.

Sora and Riku were exchanging looks as he walked away with her, and Roxas reminded himself to punch them later.

"This isn't really what you're expecting, probably," she started, still sounding uptight. "I mean… I kind of wanted to… apologize."

"Oh, really?" Roxas said, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah," she affirmed. "I have probably made you feel really uncomfortable at some point or another, so… I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I never really meant to be as intense as I was."

"It's… it's all right, Yuri," Roxas said, overwhelmed by the feeling that was creeping up his stomach and tugging at his heart. He had been great friends with this girl at one point, hadn't he…?

"I'm glad you don't totally hate me," she said, smiling a little. "I really thought you would."

"Nah, I could never hate you," Roxas smiled, and found that he really did mean it. "You've been my friend for awhile, and I'd like to keep it that way, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, for sure!" she said happily. "Hopefully, we can finally be friends without all that awkwardness I was causing…"

"It'll be nice to finally get to talk to you for real again," Roxas said. "Because, let me tell you, before, you were _not _the easiest person to talk to."

"I know, I know," she said, responding to the teasing by sticking her tongue out at him. "Friends?"

"Friends," he said, giving her a small hug. "Thank you."

She smiled again. "So, I'm inviting everyone to a little get together at my house after school today, just so that we can all spend some time together… can you come?"

"Definitely," he said. "Who are you inviting?"

"Oh, just you, Naminé, Kairi, Sora, and Riku."

"Sounds good! You're right, we haven't spent time together as a group for awhile."

Yuri knew this was the right thing to say, because it was true—everyone would be pulled in by the idea. She was right—Kairi had said that she would when she had picked Yuri up that morning. Riku and Sora immediately agreed, and Naminé seemed happy that things were finally going well in the group again.

* * *

That day, during passing before the last class of the day, Roxas noticed Naminé walking on the opposite side of the hallway alone. 

"Hey, Naminé!" he called out to her.

Her head turned, and her face lit up in a smile when she saw that it was he who had called her name. She fought her way across the hallway to join Roxas.

"Hey, how are you today?" she asked, smiling a little.

"I'm all right," he said easily. "You?"

"Happy," she said. "I think Yuri's after school is going to be a good time."

"I agree, actually," Roxas said, wrinkling his brow. "I mean, who thought I'd ever say that about spending time with her?" he joked.

Naminé laughed. "Roxas, that's awful! I agree, though, I think things with her will be much better now than they were before."

"She apologized to me this morning. For, you know… everything."

"Wow, really?" Naminé said, eyebrows slightly raised in disbelief. "I mean, I know that she apologized to Kairi and I, but—"

A tall, muscular boy pushed past where they were standing, knocking Naminé's messenger bag from her shoulder, spilling its entire contents on the floor.

"Excuse you!" Roxas called after the boy, immediately bending over to help a flustered Naminé pick up her belongings.

Suddenly, Naminé understood how she had lost her diary. That very same thing had happened to her the day that it had disappeared from her bag. Feeling blazingly angry at herself for being so quiet and transparent, she thanked Roxas for helping her and breezed off to class. Being at school was the absolute worst place you could possibly be when all you wanted was to be alone.

She sat, fuming, for her entire last class. She knew that this would be it—she would never try to be invisible again. It was just then that she noticed how many times she had actually been knocked into or mowed over in the school hallways. She wanted desperately to be the type of person who commanded attention, or the type of person you could never accidentally plow over… but getting to that point would be difficult for her. Even the fact that she had just obtained a parking pass and had driven herself to school for the first time today didn't calm her down. She was excited to spend time with her friends, and could only hope that she could get over her anger with herself before she got to Yuri's.

When the last bell finally clanged, Naminé rushed from her classroom to the bathroom, intending to make a quick stop before leaving for Yuri's house. She wove her way in and out of other students in similar hurray, scowling to herself as she imagined each and every one of them seeing right through her. Anger re-kindled, she shoved her way into the nearest bathroom, which was, thankfully, deserted.

She was scrubbing her hands with soap, and suddenly, Korin popped out of one of the bathroom stalls. "Naminé, nice to see you," she said, sounding bored.

Naminé looked up at her, hatred burning deep in her stomach. "Nice to see you, too," she said in similar tones.

Korin's head snapped in Naminé's direction, and then made fierce eye contact. Naminé was devoting every ounce of her being to sending the unspoken message of dislike to this girl, and it seemed to be working. Korin's face suddenly cracked into a sickening smile.

"The red stirred behind your eyes. I saw it."

Naminé stared at her, confused.

"That must be why you hate me so, little witch. The real you has broken free."

Her eyes widened. Witch…? What in the world was she talking about.

She laughed softly. She pressed her hand to the dazed Naminé's forehead. As Naminé tried to shove it away, she felt a sharp clap ripple across her brain, and her vision started to tunnel in. The horrible dropping feeling in her stomach was all that she felt as her vision went black and she crumpled to the ground, the image of Korin's smile still burnt into her brain.

* * *

Everyone impatiently awaited Naminé's arrival at Yuri's house. Sora paced worriedly in the basement—he was the type to flip out that way. Riku continuously told him to calm down, and Kairi wrung her hands nervously. It had been over an hour since school had finished, and she was nowhere to be found… 

To top it off, Yuri had been nervous and skittish since they had arrived at her house. The four of them waited in her basement, throwing around topics of no importance as they tried to keep themselves from worrying about Naminé, whose cell phone had about twelve messages from assorted members of the group.

As Kairi brought up a math test that all of them had taken that day, the strange man popped up right next to Yuri, looking wildly infuriated.

"They've got her," he said in a low, angry voice.

"Leon!" Yuri said in surprise. "Who's got who?"

"Naminé. The witch got her… she's gone."

Roxas immediately felt his windpipe close up in shock. He tried to speak, but couldn't make a sound.

"Wait, witch? What the hell are you talking about?" Sora demanded.

"Yeah, care to explain?" Kairi added fiercely.

"Uh, Yuri, who is this?" Riku asked loudly, trying to look threatening in case he was a robber or something to that effect.

"Guys, um… this is Leon… he's actually the reason I brought you all here today. I mean… oh man, you guys are never gonna believe this…"

* * *

Congratulations to the person who guessed that the mystery guy was Leon. :D Only one person did, I was surprised! 

WHERE IS NAMINE?! What will happen to her in the clutches of Korin? Can Leon help them save her? You must read chapter 7, coming soon, to find out :D Review, please?

Thank you for reading!

Lulala


	7. Just like that

As promised. I'm here. :D

For those who didn't see, which I'm guessing is most of you, we had a nice little situation with the computers at my house here. I posted a note about it on my profile, but... my mom switched around our internet service, disconnecting the ancient laptop in my room that I was using to update this before I had a chance to transfer the document for this story from that computer to this one. So, you guessed it, I had to re-type up this entire chapter.

But that's not important. This chapter is a LOT of explanation. Hopefully, it will cure any confusion. Remember, questions of any kind relating to anything that has already happened in the story will be answered if you post a review or send me a message. I'm happy to help. :D

THANK YOU to all of the reviewers. I'd sing you a song, but there aren't many that could correctly convey my gratitude... :D

* * *

Yuri wrung her hands nervously. "Leon? I think you'd be the best person to explain this." 

He sighed deeply. "A lot more is going on than you five realize."

Yuri was surprised to find herself included in the group, since the issue seemed mostly to do with her friends, but didn't comment.

"Oh, really? Care to explain what's going on? The faster you go, the faster we can get to Naminé!" Sora said fiercely, daring to get into Leon's face a bit.

"Calm down," Leon suggested, slowly pushing Sora out of his personal space. "I'll tell you what's going on, but you have to promise that you'll believe me. It seems… impossible… but trust me, it's more than possible."

"We're listening," Riku said expectantly, arms folded across his chest.

Leon sighed again. "Well. I guess you could say that it all started in this world you've all never heard of."

"Another world?" Sora exclaimed in disbelief. "You're joking!"

"Your promise," Leon reminded him. "Just sit tight till I'm done."

Sora cast him a glare, obviously still freaking out about Naminé, but didn't reply.

"So… this world is called Hollow Bastion," Leon explained. "It's very far away from here, and no humans know of it… our Queen made sure of that, she hid the world with extremely complex magic."

"Magic?" Kairi choked.

"Yeah," Leon affirmed. "See, the population of Hollow Bastion is pretty unique. Common people, warriors, witches, magicians… all sorts of people live there."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sora said impatiently.

"Seriously, calm down," Riku snapped at Sora. "Just listen to what he has to say."

Leon gave Riku a look of gratitude as Sora pouted, and continued. "The land of Hollow Bastion is extremely magic infused. Only certain individuals can draw magic from the world's core, which make them the most powerful in Hollow Bastion. The Queen was, obviously, one of them."

"Could people other than the Queen use the magic?" Riku asked, brow furrowed slightly with confusion.

Leon nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. However, the number of people who could use it is very small. Since the magic of our world is so powerful and unique, many secret organizations of people throughout the ages have plotted to conquer Hollow Bastion and use its magic. Luckily, however, our current Queen foresaw the coming of the Adherence, and placed her most powerful spells on the world to keep the intruders from entering."

"What in the world is the Adherence?" Kairi asked reluctantly.

"An organization bent on entering Hollow Bastion and harnessing the ancient magic of the land," Leon answered grimly. "The Queen thought we had had enough magic in place to repel them, but they miraculously broke through the enchantments, and attacked."

Kairi gasped, and Yuri eyed her sadly. Nothing could prepare them for what was coming next.

"Now. Ancient legend in our world states that those who can call the keyblade to them will be the sole protectors of the Queen. Well, when she came across four keyblade wielders and an exceptionally skilled witch fighting off members of the Adherence near the castle, you can only imagine her joy at the legend at last coming to pass."

"And the fighters were…?" Riku prodded, a knowing look in his eyes.

"You," Leon replied simply. "All of you."

"So, you're trying to say that we're warriors from an ancient, secret world," Sora said, choking back laughter. "You can't be serious."

"I told you at the beginning, I'm more than serious," Leon said flatly. "You all fought with keyblades, and Naminé was quite good with magic. Her eyes glowed red whenever she drew magic from Hollow Bastion—in fact, for members of the Adherence who clashed often with Naminé, it was said that her red eyes were the last thing you would see before she killed you."

"Is that why the witch took her?" Kairi asked shakily, sounding nothing short of terrified.

"No, I expect Korin—"

"_Korin_?" Kairi repeated. "No way, she can't be a witch! She's not a witch, is she, Yuri?"

Yuri eyed Kairi sadly. "I'm afraid so. At least, that's what Leon has found out about…"

"Anyways," Leon continued, "I believe that Korin took Naminé first for two reasons. Firstly, I assume that she saw an immediate opening to take Naminé, and didn't want to pass up an opportunity to rid herself of one of you. Secondly, after we sent you all here, I learned that the reason for Korin's intense hatred and relentless hunting of Naminé was due to the fact that Naminé killed Korin's brother."

"That's wrong," Sora said quietly. "I mean, she's Naminé. I can't picture her killing someone… she's not a killer…"

"Unless I'm mistaken, Roxas was being threatened by Korin's brother, and Naminé saved him," Leon explained.

As Leon was explaining this, Roxas's brain was going into overdrive. The fight he was describing sounded exactly like the journal entry in the girl's diary. The girl had written about how she had red, glowing eyes in her dream, and was fighting a woman with black hair… and she had saved a boy, hadn't she?

The girl constantly talked about her two best friends, and how different they were from her. Those descriptions fit Kairi and Yuri perfectly…

Her poetry and artwork… Naminé loved art and writing.

Which could only mean one thing.

The girl Roxas had been dreaming of had been sitting right in front of him for nearly his whole life… and now, she was gone. Sighing inwardly, he decided not to let his dismay at Naminé's capture show through any more than normal. None of his friends needed to know about his extremely… adverse… crush on Naminé.

"So… the war against the Adherence started to get rough," Leon continued. "You guys were getting kicked around a little, mostly because you were tired and overworked. More than once, after you all returned to the castle from fighting, Naminé would pass out from overuse of magic. The rest of you would be so overly-exerted that it would take days for you to heal completely."

Riku and Sora, who had both been standing and pacing nervously, collapsed into chairs at that. Everyone's eyes settled on the ground, and the sadness they felt for their past selves was more than evident. Yuri's heart wrenched as the looks on her friends' faces shifted from mildly interested to morose.

Leon eyed them sadly. "After Naminé rescued Roxas from his brush with death, the Queen decided something had to be done. She, Naminé, and Aerith, another talented witch, came up with a plan to remove all of you, including the Queen, from Hollow Bastion for a short while. The spell that they invented was supposed to cut off all of your memories of Hollow Bastion, and lock away all of your powers until you would need them again. Naminé, who invented the spell, cast it on the Queen because it would be hardest to break or detect."

"Which is why Korin found us, but not the Queen," Riku deduced. "Her spell was stronger than ours, because Naminé cast hers…"

"Exactly, and Naminé couldn't cast it on herself due to the specifics of the spell. It's not like they had a long period of time to refine it or work out any problems," Leon said, nodding. "You must be remembering…"

Riku looked slightly pleased with himself, but didn't confirm any such thing.

"We sent all five of you here in a group, so that you would still be together… which was why Naminé couldn't cast the spell on each of you, and have Aerith cast it on her… you wouldn't have ended up here together. Actually, I'm almost positive that the Adherence things that the Queen is still in Hollow Bastion, but… you can never be sure," Leon continued. "I'm sorry if this is confusing, but… it's really all about magic."

"So… the Queen of Hollow Bastion is somewhere around here, but you don't know where, and you won't be able to trace her at all, since her magic is basically undetectable," Kairi said. "Great."

"We were hoping to use Naminé for that," Leon confessed. "A good witch can always find her spells."

"So… are you saying we have to go back to Hollow Bastion?" Sora asked uncertainly. "I mean…"

"Sora, I know this must be confusing… go dashing off with a stranger like me to a world you've never heard of… I promise you, things will get better when you go back. Your memories will return, and you'll remember everything," Leon said gently.

Riku and Sora exchanged skeptical glances. "So… if we agree to come, more of this could be explained?" Riku asked.

Leon nodded. "You'd certainly be able to understand it better if you could remember everything that happened 17 years ago in Hollow Bastion. You need something around to trigger your memory, and I think going back to the world would be the best trigger, don't you?"

"Hold on, hold on," Roxas said, speaking for the first time since Leon's arrival. "So we had different lives 17 years ago than we do now? That's…"

The weight of this information made him feel overwhelmingly dizzy, and he slumped backward into the cushions of the couch he was seated on. His body began to shake violently, and he pulled his knees up to his chest as his stomach started to wrench and churn, and the horribly ill feeling began to take over… memories were flooding into his mind… memories he was certain couldn't be his…

A flash of he and Sora fighting together with key-shaped swords… he and Riku screwing around together with their weapons… Naminé teaching Kairi what appeared to be a spell as he looked on… Yuri marveling at his key-shaped sword, though something seemed quite different about her… Fighting a boy with dark colored hair, and actually losing… that is, until a red-eyed Naminé turned up to save his life…

And just like that, Roxas remembered.

* * *

When Naminé at last stirred, a quick survey of her surroundings left her confused. She seemed to be in a type of basement, judging by the stone floor and walls. She was in a corner, with to strange, crystalline walls, each about seven feet in length extending out of each wall, keeping her seemingly in an enclosure. Stone walls made up half of the enclosure, and the strange, clear ones made up the other. 

She somehow knew better than to touch the walls. Pacing, she waited for her captor to come and check if she was awake.

Nearly an hour later, Korin appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. "Restless, huh?" she sneered. "You must be remembering, though. If you weren't, it would have taken you at least another day to awaken."

Naminé glared. "What are you talking about? I have no idea why I'm even here!"

"Don't you?" Korin asked quietly. "Well, you're here because you killed my brother, and I've been assigned to kill you and your friends. You're just lucky number one."

Naminé's eyes widened. "I didn't kill anybody! What the hell are you talking about?"

As Korin walked straight up the barrier to stare Naminé down, two other women appeared at Korin's sides. One had shoulder-length bleached blonde curls and a sneer spread across her thin, pale face. The other, sporting black hair similar to Korin's, had nearly a mirror expression. Both were Korin's height, sporting nearly identical outfits—black skinny pants, a short, v-necked white dress, a large black belt with daggers strapped on fastened around their hips, and black and white striped armbands.

"Korin, calm down," the blonde girl advised. "You can kill her whenever."

"No, Hana, I can't," Korin muttered through gritted teeth. "She has to help us find the Queen first."

"That's not what the boss told _us_," Hana said, casting the other black-haired girl a look.

"Yeah, she said we didn't _really _need the Queen," the black-haired girl agreed.

"Tomoko, you know better than I that she's just tired of looking for her."

"Perhaps the murder of one of her most trusted witches will coax her out of hiding," Hana suggested.

"Perhaps," Korin said thoughtfully. "I'd better run that by the boss. Can you guys watch her till I come back?"

"What, you think she's going to break out?" Tomoko said, laughing a little. "Korin, you over-estimate her. She's just a human."

"For now," Korin reminded her. "If the real Naminé is unleashed, run for your lives. You're ill prepared to fight her right now, and she'll be furious when she gets out. You saw what she did to Hiro when her…" Korin choked a little, "loved one… was threatened."

Instead of sticking up for herself, as she normally would have done, Naminé was listening carefully to this exchange, trying to absorb as much information as she could. Sadly, they hadn't given any clue as to where she might be—she could feel her cell phone still in her pocket, ready to use to call for help at any time…

"Ah, yes, the blonde boy," Tomoko said. "Sorry, it's been just north of fifteen years, it's hard to remember these things."

"Either way," Korin said, eyes narrowing. "Watch her." She snapped her fingers, and was gone.

Hana and Tomoko took a seat on two chairs across the room from where Naminé was being kept. So far, Naminé had gathered a lot of information. Korin thought she had killed her brother, a Queen from somewhere or another was missing, and Korin's boss was looking for her… Naminé had somehow been one of the Queen's most trusted witches, whatever that meant… she had rescued a blonde boy that Korin believed she had been in love with…

"So," Naminé began, "I still don't know why I'm here."

"Yeah, let's keep it that way," Hana said fiercely. "You killed one of my best friends, and then disappeared. I honestly never thought I'd have to stare into the face of his killer again. Well, little murderer, you're not getting away this time."

"He tried to kill Roxas!" Naminé shouted, not entirely sure why the name "Roxas" had come out of her mouth.

"Roxas? How did you know?" Tomoko demanded, sounding slightly on edge.

"Don't worry, I don't remember _everything_," Naminé said bitterly, feeling as though someone else were controlling her mouth. "Just… how I got out of here. I can't… if only I could remember…"

Overcome by a sudden wave of sickness, Naminé sat down so quickly it almost looked like she fell. She grabbed her legs and pulled them to her chest, shaking violently. Hana and Tomoko stared at each other wide-eyed, and began to rush towards Naminé's enclosure.

She tried to get up—if only she could stop the random jolts of her muscles…

She clutched at the wall, still shaking madly. Before she could stop herself, she keeled over and spilled the entire contents of her stomach on the stone floor. Hana and Tomoko, making noises of disgust, were desperately trying to strengthen the crystal walls. Naminé crumpled to the ground, passing out as her head hit the stone. Her mind was suddenly full of extremely familiar-looking images…

She and Yuri talking and laughing, though Yuri looked much different… Kairi showing her how to use a sword… Sora begging her to teach him how to cure himself, since Riku wouldn't… Riku and her, fighting girls wearing outfits similar to that of Korin, Hana, and Tomoko… Roxas, half-dead… Drawing at a powerful, rumbling magic beneath her feet to kill the dark haired boy standing over him…

As the images faded to black, she knew… the images were true. Somehow, as Korin had warned Hana and Tomoko she might… she remembered. She could hear Korin's voice from the bathroom echoing in her brain… _"The real you has broken free."_

Oh, how right she was.

* * *

Wah. I hope this cleared any questions up. I also hope it didn't add more to the growing pile of questions. XD Either way, I hope you enjoyed this wonderful learning explanation chapter. XD Review, please? 

Thank you for reading,

Lulala


	8. Shadows and shattered walls

Hello again. :D

Here I am, quicker than most recent updates. Hurray, I finally broke the 100,000 words total submitted to this website. Yay for Lulala. Also, for those who are interested, I AT LAST posted the link to my myspace on my profile. If you go there, you will learn my actual name, and see what I look like. If you care. XD the link is there for you to use.

Anyways. Here's chapter eight. Awesome. :D

* * *

_Where… am I?_

You know where you are.

_Oh? That's right. Hollow Bastion._

See? You've remembered. I knew you would.

_This can't be…_

But it is, so you may as well make the most of it. Or at least accept it.

_Where… are my friends?_

Looking for you, of course. Where else?

_Oh. Are they really? And, who are you?_

You. In a more sensible frame of mind.

_…I see._

This is ridiculous. Morning sunshine, time to wake up!

* * *

Naminé's eyes shot open as she awakened almost instantly and sat up at a dizzying speed. That's right, she had collapsed… typical. Couldn't even deal with a little bit of magic, the human Naminé. 

She ran her hands through her hair, and immediately noticed that it was shorter and choppier, just as it had been when she had previously dreamed of herself in Hollow Bastion. Before she had collapsed, she had felt tired, extremely sick, and dizzier than ever. Now, however, she could feel her powerful magic coursing through her veins, and was suddenly motivated to pull herself off of the ground and into a standing position.

She eyed the crystal walls critically. Just beyond them, she noticed Hana and Tomoko frantically attempting to contact Korin. That's right—she was powerful. They weren't just worried about any old thing—they were worried about _her_.

Oh well—she might as well give them something to worry about, right?

Grinning, she placed her right hand on her left shoulder, and jerked her arm outward so that it was positioned straight at her side and parallel to the ground. Both walls of magic shattered.

Hana and Tomoko squealed as Naminé stepped out of her enclosure, white magic glowing at her hands and eyes slowly turning red.

* * *

"Roxas," Leon said uncertainly. "Are you all right?" 

"I… I remember," he said slowly, still feeling relatively ill.

"Everything?"

"Everything," Roxas affirmed. "Up until the day we were reborn here."

"Good," Leon said gleefully. "You see? I'm not sure why he was first to remember, but that will eventually happen to all of you. An awful, sick feeling, followed by a flood of memories. Naminé explained it to me before you guys were sent away. I believe, Roxas, that Korin triggered your memory."

"Are you serious?" he said disbelievingly. "How?"

Leon smiled a little. "When she turned up here, you hated her inexplicably, right?"

Roxas nodded slowly, but didn't bother to ask Leon how he knew.

"You and Naminé fought with her a lot. I believe her presence had triggered all of your memories in some way—the more she had affected you in the past, the more your memory would have been triggered now."

"So… the fact that I felt very uneasy around her and am remembering bits and pieces as you're talking means that I was somehow involved with her in the past, as well?" Riku asked uncertainly.

"Precisely," Leon said, nodding. "Kairi was after her brother, Hiro, way more than her… so you have most likely been minimally affected by her. Am I correct?"

Kairi nodded, slightly embarrassed. "I'm still a little in the dark here…"

Sora, who had been silent, suddenly quietly requested, "Leon? Take us back, please. I want to get to Naminé."

"All right, then," Leon said with a triumphant smile. "Yuri? Would you like to come along? I think Aerith would like to have a look at you."

"Why would she care about me?"

Roxas opened his mouth to say something, but Leon shot a fierce, threatening look his way, that plainly and unmistakably said one thing: _Shut up._

"Are you coming to Hollow Bastion or not?" said Leon, dodging the question completely.

Yuri had noticed Roxas, who was struggling to keep whatever Leon had insisted he shouldn't say to himself. "You okay, Roxas?" she asked warily.

"Yeh—fine," he said, glance snapping over to Leon.

Leon gave him another warning look. "Well, you've got a few minutes to decide," he told her. "Aerith should be popping up any minute, so I'm going to send you all home for 10 minutes to collect anything you might want to bring along. At some point during that time, Aerith will come and get a shadow set up for you."

"Shadow?" Riku repeated uncertainly.

"It's a spell," Leon answered simply. "It will basically create another you—a shadow of you—to live in your place. But just for now."

"Whoa. So, while we're gone, there will be… fake things that look just like us walking around?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"Exactly!" Leon said. "If she performs the spell properly, which she will, they'll act just like you, as well."

Sora and Riku exchanged uncertain glances. "O-kay," Riku said at last.

"All right, then. You have ten minutes. Collect whatever you think you may need. Nothing more than what you can carry, though."

He snapped his fingers, and all of them disappeared from Yuri's basement, and reappeared in their bedrooms.

* * *

Sora paced in his room, neglecting to grab anything. His thoughts were running through his head faster than ever before, and he couldn't think enough to decide on anything to bring. Was he really sure that he wanted to do this? 

Before long, a very pretty brown-haired girl sporting a cute, pink dress and big, blue eyes popped up out of nowhere. He had been pacing, and just when he had whirled around to make another walk across his room, she was sitting on his bed as though it was perfectly normal for her to be there.

"Hello, Sora," she said brightly.

"Um," he stuttered. "Uh… you must be…"

"Aerith!" she smiled, and stood up with her hand extended. Sora slowly shook it, still mystified that he had been alone one moment and in her company the next.

"Leon sent me to make a shadow for you," she explained. "Just hold still, this shouldn't take long…"

She began muttering under her breath, closed her eyes, and positioned both of her pointer fingers so that they formed a small cross. Sora felt an odd sinking sensation in his stomach, and suddenly felt awkwardly chilly. Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited until he was sure she was finished to open them.

"There we go… how are you today, Sora?"

"A little weirded out," came shadow Sora's voice.

The actual Sora opened his eyes, and almost jumped when he saw the exact replica of himself standing next to him.

"Holy… he looks just like me!" Sora exclaimed.

"Well, what were you expecting when he said, 'shadow'?" the shadow asked.

"Well… never mind."

"Ready to go, Sora?" Aerith asked perkily.

Sora made one last glance around his room, and noticed his photo album on his bookshelf—filled with pictures of his friends from around the time he had met them to as recently as his birthday, which had been just last month. He rushed over, quickly pulled it off the shelf, and nodded. "Yeah… I'm ready."

"Okay, then," she said, snapping her fingers.

Sora watched as his room and the shadow Sora melted away, and he reappeared seconds later in Yuri's basement.

He was apparently the first that Aerith had visited, as the basement was still completely empty. Wait—where had Leon gotten off to?

* * *

When Roxas felt his feet slam down into the ground of his room, he felt immediately relieved. Something about his room just made him feel much more at ease. Even though he knew that this was only his room when he lived on Earth—what a strange feeling that was—he still felt calmed after everything that had taken place at Yuri's. 

He was leaving this world that he knew, and heading to another… one that he hadn't been in for seventeen years. It was an odd feeling, to say the least.

Roxas headed to his closet and pulled out an old, empty backpack. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think of what he wanted to bring—Leon had appeared in the doorway of his room.

"Roxas?" he said expectantly.

"I know what you're here for," Roxas said immediately. "Why'd you shut me up back there?"

"Because," Leon sighed. "I know you _think _you know what you remembered—about Yuri, I mean. But… just because it looks like her doesn't mean it's her. I mean, we've _really _got to be _positive _about that before we tell her."

"Leon. She looks the same, and her name is the same. She acts the same… that is, before she went completely psycho here. She's cool again, though. We've been friends forever. I know her. Believe me, it was her."

"I know, Roxas. I had a good relationship with her, as well, and I agree. It's just that… we've really got to bring her back with us. To be sure."

"Okay, I guess I understand why you didn't want me to tell her."

"Good. Just wanted to make sure we were clear."

Roxas hesitated for a moment. "Do… you think Naminé is still alive?" he asked slowly.

Leon sat down on Roxas's bed, and cradled his head in his hands. "I really hope so, Roxas."

"Are there any leads as to where she might be?" he asked, trying not to sound overly concerned. After all, he didn't want anybody to know about the diary thing…

"Once we're there, Aerith will be able to find her," he said, trying very hard to sound sure of himself. He looked up at Roxas. "It will be especially easy if she has remembered everything and used magic."

"And if she hasn't?"

Leon sighed, and hung his head again. "I don't know. I can see why you're worried, though. Do you remember anything about her from the past?"

Roxas dug deep into his freshly added memories. When he thought of Naminé, he could tell immediately that she held a very special place in his heart… a deep, unconditional emotion that he couldn't entirely describe. One particular memory of Naminé stood out—her willingness to help those citizens who had been affected by the Adherence's occupation of their world. She went out of her way to use her magic to help reconstruct their houses and heal any wounds they might have. Not only was she a gifted fighter, but a very caring and kind person. Unbelievably tough on the battlefield, but soft at heart and more than happy to help any who needed her talents.

"I remember how helpful she was to everyone," Roxas said, smiling a little. "She was amazing, wasn't she, Leon?"

He smiled a little as well. "Yes, she was. I expect more of your memories will return gradually… and then, perhaps, you'll know what I was talking about."

"What?" Roxas asked, snapping out of the dream-like state his memories had drawn him into.

Leon stood up, chuckling. "See you in a few minutes. Aerith should be along shortly."

* * *

As she let Hana and Tomoko strategize (why not? They would lose either way), Naminé got her first good look around the room—it seemed as though this was where Hana, Tomoko, and Korin lived. Three beds off in the far right corner of the room were covered with simple white sheets and comforters. The nearly all white kitchen area to Naminé's left was sparkling clean. Several comfortable chairs littered the open far left corner of the room, and the amount of white in the room was becoming almost dizzying. 

Naminé listened carefully and picked up on what Hana and Tomoko were talking about. "Korin warned us not to engage her," Hana hissed.

"But she hasn't attacked yet, so let's get her before she remembers how to do everything," Tomoko insisted.

"If her eyes are red, it will take more than two people to kill her. You know this," Hana said acidly.

"Of course _you_ know," Tomoko spat. "We _all _know what you were up to, just before our rivals were sent away."

"Shut up, that is ancient history," Hana reminded her sharply.

"What will he say about that when he comes back?"

"I told you to shut up," Hana said angrily. "Let's just get out of here."

"No, let's fight!" Tomoko shouted, making a quick decision and firing a spell at Naminé.

She stuck her arm straight out in front of her, and a clear shield that looked similar to the walls she had been imprisoned in appeared, and she easily blocked Tomoko's spell.

"Took you long enough," she said, half-smiling. "Let's find out just how much I remember."

* * *

Whaaaat? It's over already? I'll be updating again soon. I'm getting just as into this as you hopefully are. :D

Two major bombshells coming soon. Promise me RIGHT NOW that you won't hate me? XD

Okay, are we all ready to see Naminé kick butt?

...Read chapter nine:D

Thank you,

Lulala


	9. Wooded remembrance

Haha. Hello. I'm not dead. Shocking, I know.

I apologize, I started a few writing classes recently... and got very, very absorbed in other writing, as well as making this chapter as good as possible. I read an old story of mine and found it extremely lacking, so I deleted it. I was at a bit of a block, just wanting to throw them into the next part of this story, but... it doesn't exactly work that way. XD

Anyways. At long last, chapter nine. Please enjoy yourself, this took me quite a long time.

* * *

A young girl, looking to be about 18, rushed down the marble hallway, flat soles of her shoes slapping spastically against the floor as her dress rustled along, skimming the ground. Her twilight blue eyes flashed from wall to wall as she blew past maids, who all cast her immediate looks of disapproval. She brushed a strand of long, blonde hair from her pale face, and continued on. The room she was heading to was a few more doors down, if she could just… 

At last, she spotted the door she had been searching for, and pushed it open roughly. Out of breath, she slipped into the room and slammed the door behind her. Panting, she collapsed against it, readjusting her crown after noticing that it had gone terribly astray.

"You're late," came a teasing voice.

"I know, I'm sorry," the blonde girl whined. "The board kept me for so long, I couldn't help it."

"We forgive you," said another voice, giggling. The two girls walked toward the blonde to help her up.

"Thank you, Aerith," she said to the girl who helped her up. She had long, brown hair that was tied back into a perfect ponytail. She was beautiful, with a thin face and shimmering, warm eyes.

"No problem," Aerith replied good-naturedly.

"So Nami, what did you want to talk to us about?"

'Nami', Aerith's blonde haired companion, suddenly looked downcast. The corners of her soft, pink mouth curved toward the floor as a look of misery worked its way across her pale face.

"Roxas, your majesty," she said softly. "He…"

"Naminé," the Queen said softly, springing to action and enveloping her friend in a bone-crushing hug. "He's going to be okay, right?"

"Right," Naminé murmured, not sounding one bit convinced.

"You're all so tired," the Queen commented, at last releasing her vice-like grip on Naminé.

"We've all tried to do what we can," Aerith sighed. "It's just not working. I don't know how they could have that many members, but it seems that winning is much harder than we thought it was going to be."

"No," the Queen said, massaging her temples and squeezing her eyes shut. "I knew they'd be a force to be reckoned with. If they could break the enchantments I had set up, they had to be strong. I agree, though, their numbers are startling."

"What… what does the council propose you do with us?" Naminé asked quietly.

"They haven't proposed a thing," the Queen responded, agitated. "I don't know how they can expect you to keep doing this, but they seem to be firm believers in the prophecy."

"But we've done all we can," Naminé pointed out sadly. "Roxas nearly died. Kairi got a bad injury off of Hiro the other day, just before he died. Riku is completely burned out, and won't talk to anyone anymore. I… I'm destroying myself…"

"I know," the Queen said softly, tears glistening in her eyes. "Something must be done."

"Send them away," Aerith suggested. "We'll watch the castle. You leave, as well. Just for awhile."

"What good would my leaving do?" the Queen asked. "My place is here, with my people…"

"You won't be here if you're dead, either," Aerith pointed out. "We'll send you all away together, and get them sending people away to search for you other places. When their ranks are weakened, Leon and I will come collect you, and you can return to the exact age you were before you left."

"Theoretically," Naminé added. "No spell like that actually exists. We'd have to create one."

"Create one, huh?" the Queen repeated thoughtfully. "Well, it's the only plan we've got. Let's get started."

* * *

Senses heightened by the new magic moving its way through her body, she could almost hear Hana and Tomoko's heart rates increasing. She inhaled deeply, and smelled nothing short of fear positively radiating from the two girls. Hana reached over and grabbed Tomoko's arm, hoping she could pass the non-verbal message that they should make a break for it while they still could. 

Naminé smirked confidently. "Try this on for size," she murmured calmly, gathering white magic nonchalantly in the palm of her hand. She thrust her palm forward towards them, releasing the magic like a missile.

"NO!" Korin screamed, popping up from nowhere in the middle of the room and stopping it.

"Damn," Naminé cursed, eyes intensifying as she prepared to send another spell their way by pressing her hands together in a prayer-like position.

"Hana, Tomoko, go!" Korin muttered to them urgently. "I'll be out in a minute."

"But—" Hana stammered.

"Go," Korin repeated.

With a snap of their fingers, Hana and Tomoko vanished.

Naminé glared at Korin, the red in her eyes becoming more pronounced.

"I remember," Korin began, moving closer to Naminé for a good stare-down, "the last time I stared into your eyes when they were this color, I was terrified."

"Don't tell me you're not still," Naminé responded coolly.

"I'm not even one tiny bit afraid of you anymore," Korin taunted. "You're weak. You ran away. I expected better from you."

Naminé felt an unexplainable lurch of sadness. "We had to leave. But they'll come back for me, all of them will. We'll return to full strength. You're forgetting that I remember everything."

"Do you?" Korin demanded. "Do you? How would you know whether you do or not?"

"I remember everything about magic," Naminé warned her.

"And I remember everything about the way you work," Korin said, grinning murderously. "You send that spell at me and it'll fly right back at you and knock your damn head off."

"We'll see about that," Naminé said in a low, violent tone.

* * *

Sora, who had been alone in Yuri's basement for what felt like hours, was abruptly joined by Roxas, who was next to be dumped by Aerith into the basement. 

"You too, huh?" he said.

"Yeah," Roxas replied sheepishly. "This is so weird to think about… I remember everything about you, and you don't remember anything about you."

"Enlighten me," Sora suggested, grinning.

"Am I allowed, do you think?" Roxas said uncertainly.

"All I need is… a trigger, I think he called it. Then, I can remember on my own…"

"Well," Roxas began, "you were just as stubborn, and just as smart as you are now. You always liked Kairi, which is another thing that's the same." Roxas glanced at Sora, and saw that he had his eyes clamped tightly shut, trying with all his might to remember his past.

"Keep going," he insisted. "Did I kill anybody?"

Roxas laughed. "Of course. We all did, dweeb. I could tell you that without knowing that you did."

"Cool… I mean, wow, that's awful. Could I do magic, like Naminé could?"

Roxas laughed again. "No, you were miserable at it. You begged Riku to teach you how to heal yourself, but he wouldn't, and you were angry. Naminé showed you, but it took you forever just to learn that."

"I eventually got better, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Roxas said in surprise. "How'd you…?"

"I don't know," Sora shrugged. "Keep going, though, I think this is helping."

"Your room was always a mess," Roxas said reminiscently. "It drove Kairi insane, because we would always make her wake you up. You always slept later than everyone else."

"Did she ever at any point wake me with a water spell?" Sora asked.

"Yeah!" Roxas answered. "Oh, that was hilarious… you must be remembering, Sora…"

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten that weird sick thing yet like you had…"

"You just need something major… Oh, I think I've got it. The first time you ever did a healing spell properly was when you were fighting with Kairi against Hiro, Korin's brother. She was badly injured, and you rushed to her aid…"

Sora's tremors began in his hands, and quickly took over the rest of his body. The shaking grew so violent that Roxas sprung up from the couch and stood over where Sora was seated, trying to calm him down. His face grew ghostly white, and his eyes lost their lively glimmer. His breathing sounded heavy and labored as he grabbed his knees and drew them to his chest like a frightened child.

Just as quickly as the near seizure had come, it departed, but left a green tinge to the skin on Sora's face. "Thanks," he breathed as the shaking began to subside. "This sucks, but is so cool… I can remember things…"

Roxas laughed softly. "Sorry for making it suck."

Sora did his best to put on a smile. "Thanks again. Won't the girls be surprised when they come back?"

Riku was plopped down on the ground in front of them next, landing with a grunt. "Geez, shouldn't she have better aim?" he grumbled, standing up and brushing himself off as though he had rolled around in dirt in the process of returning to the basement.

"Sora remembers," Roxas said, Sora preoccupied with examining his thoughts and fresh memories.

"Lucky him," Riku sighed. "This is just completely unnerving. Frustrating."

"Yeah, it sucks too, though," Sora told him. "That sick feeling is gross."

"It lasts for all of twenty seconds," Riku scoffed. "Seriously."

A few minutes later, a disoriented Kairi was plopped on the couch next to Sora, and Yuri reappeared almost immediately after. Leon and Aerith popped up again, much to everyone's relief.

"Well. I'm going to say one last thing," Leon began seriously. "If you guys come, there could be no turning back. We need all of you, but this is going to be dangerous."

"The worst part will be re-entering the world," Aerith continued for him. "They keep tabs on everyone entering and leaving. We were able to slip out easily, due to our magical properties… but for those of you who don't remember everything about who you were, you will be immediately detected."

"As such, it's important you listen to both of us," Leon finished grimly. "We can't have anything happen to you before you know how to defend yourself. Obey all orders, and nobody gets hurt. Stray from us, and you may die. That is, after all, their fondest wish—to kill you all."

Aerith's eyes betrayed the sadness in her heart. "You're all important to our future. We need you. We can't do this alone. I know this is scary, but… are we ready?"

Kairi cowered into Sora, grabbing at his arm hopelessly. He murmured words of comfort into her hair, while Yuri grabbed on to Riku's arm tightly. Roxas caught Leon's eye and briefly nodded, giving them the green light to catapult them into the mysterious world of Hollow Bastion.

Aerith took a deep breath, and her eyes acquired an oddly blank look. Her arms snapped violently from relaxed at her sides to rigid and stick-straight above her head. Her fingers flared out like old fashioned fans, wind suddenly began to blow, tousling Yuri's long, blonde hair nefariously, and sending Kairi's whipping into Sora's face. Kairi grabbed on tighter to Sora, and Yuri buried her face into Riku's shoulder as his hair began to dance wildly. Roxas squeezed his eyes shut, and felt a strong jerk that nearly knocked the wind out of him. Too queasy to open his eyes, he felt the basement evaporate beneath him.

* * *

"Go, go, move," Leon was mumbling angrily, dragging Roxas along. 

"Huh?" Roxas grunted.

"Get up, Roxas, come on!"

The light pierced into his freshly opened eyes, immediately triggering his tear ducts. He cursed, and pulled himself up off of the dusty gravel road that Leon had been dragging him down. He could see Aerith and Sora supporting Kairi, and Riku carrying Yuri over his shoulder up ahead. "Let's move," Leon urged him harshly. He bounded up the path towards the others, gunblade drawn and dragging through the gravel threateningly.

Roxas, still drowsy, stumbled after him. "Leon? Where are we going?"

"I can sense Naminé," he explained hurriedly. "She's nearby, we've got to get to her before she…" He broke off, shaking his head absently. "No, she wouldn't. Let's go, though, pick up the pace!"

They had caught the others, and Aerith shifted the half-awake Kairi completely to Sora's arms before taking off after Leon, who hadn't halted his steady sprint. Sora mimicked Riku; slinging Kairi gently over his shoulder, he dashed as quickly as he could manage in Leon and Aerith's footsteps. Riku, brow furrowed with worry, followed suit, and picked up his pace significantly. With a clear picture of Naminé bursting into his head, Roxas darted after them, feet carrying him past Riku and Sora, who would normally have kicked his butt in a foot race, but were currently handicapped. He was suddenly running next to Leon; a dead giveaway that the powers he previously held must have been kicking in.

Leon and Aerith suddenly came to startling halt, and Roxas was shocked to find that he wasn't even out of breath.

"It's through this ditch," Leon whispered. "But there are members of the Adherence nearby. This is so dangerous, Aerith, should we…?"

"Yes," she said immediately, though she looked torn. "We must get Naminé. Leave Roxas and Sora with swords to guard the others, and you and I will take care of the Adherence."

Leon eyed her critically for a moment, and then stiffly nodded. They crept as quietly as they could through the ditch; Aerith was the only one who could move completely silently. Roxas began to sense that the ditch was about to end—and he was surprised to find that his inkling had been correct. Aerith pulled two ordinary swords from seemingly nowhere.

"Roxas, Sora, here," she said, handing each of them one. "Protect the others, please. We'll find you your keyblades as soon as we've got Naminé. Stay hidden, don't move if you can help it."

Kairi was fully alert now, and crouched on the ground next to Sora, who had a protective arm over her shoulder. Yuri was awake enough to lean against Riku as they sat on the ground. Neither dared to make a sound or ask questions.

Leon and Aerith were quietly formulating a plan of attack. Roxas peered through the bushes, and saw two female members of the Adherence standing nervously. His memory was immediately triggered, and he realized he recognized both of them—Korin's lackeys, Hana and Tomoko.

"Korin," he mumbled, angrily. "Riku, have a look…"

Riku raised his arm and pushed the leaves aside as minimally as he could. "Hana!" he gasped, suddenly being launched into violent twitches and shakes.

Roxas, Sora, and Kairi all rushed to Riku's side, attempting to hold him still to cease the noise of the dead, crackling leaves he was stirring up. Nothing they seemed to do had any effect. Hana and Tomoko were instantly alert and aware of the intruders. Leon swore under his breath and leapt out of the ditch with Aerith at his heels.

Riku was still seemingly seizing on the ground, eyes clamped tightly shut and mouth a thin, sealed line. All at once, it seemed to stop, and Riku sat up woozily. "You're right," he immediately said to Sora, face quickly regaining its former color. "It _does_ suck."

"Hana triggered your memory," Roxas said accusingly.

"About that," Riku sighed, embarrassed. "We'll talk later."

Quicker than lightning, he grabbed a sword from the ground next to Sora, and bolted after Leon and Aerith.

* * *

The Riku-Hana connection... haha, what's up with that? I have no idea, I'm just the entirely insane, diabolical, and cruel author, who leaves you with cliffhangers pretty much all the time. What is Leon worried about Naminé doing before they can reach her? 

All of these questions and more will (hopefully :P) be answered in chapter ten, which WILL NOT take me over a month to write :D

See you all again soon, read and review if you can, please!

Thank you,

Lulala


	10. I'm afraid you've lost me

Well, it HAS NOT been a month. :D and here I am.

School is out. I'll have more time to write. I'm considering adapting a short story I wrote for a writing class into something for this website, as my teacher recommended I submit it to a contest, and read all eight pages of it out loud to the class today. It was quite embarrassing, needless to say. XD it was a unique idea, though, not unlike this story. It's similar, actually, which is my only hang-up about posting it. I'll see what you guys think once this fic is finished. Mind you, that won't be for awhile. I have a mind to keep this one going, I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Ramble over. Continue reading. :D

* * *

Naminé concentrated on the spell in her hands, burning like fire against her soft, pale skin. Would Korin really manage to block something like this? The amount of magic that she was drawing from Hollow Bastion started to feel uncomfortable—a small but perfectly noticeable pressure at the base of her throat. Her eyes, red like dancing flames, began to water. 

"Crying?" Korin taunted, taking a moment to send a spell Naminé's way.

Naminé cannoned hers at Korin, relief from the burning sensation almost instantaneous. The two spells met and ricocheted off of each other with an enormous cracking noise. Naminé quickly wiped the tears from her face and sent another stronger spell in Korin's direction.

Korin, entirely prepared, blocked the spell, though wasn't left without wounds—minor bits had managed to pierce her nearly impenetrable magic shield, and her arms were damaged with cuts. Enraged, she ran toward Naminé, who was still with shock, punched her furiously in the face.

Naminé fell to the ground, still in shock. Her limbs were stiff as concrete, and refused to move, while her eyes twitched and watered madly. Her insides were suddenly on fire, burning away like brush under a wildfire, and her mouth was locked shut, leaving her unable to release the wails of pain that were itching to pierce the silent air.

"You overdid it," Korin announced, pleased. "Just as I knew you would. You're no longer the master of the magic of Hollow Bastion—blame your absence for that. The land no longer trusts you, and your body can't handle it anymore."

Naminé angrily cursed herself as the tears continued to leak out. She couldn't die, her friends would fail without her…

* * *

Leon and Aerith were fully prepared for a fight with Hana and Tomoko, two of the Adherence's strongest fighters. They seemed hesitant to engage Leon and Aerith as they drew nearer, Hana repeatedly glancing over her shoulder, eyes searching the empty air for something that wasn't there. 

Aerith drew at her internal magic and sent the first spell Tomoko's way. She was left with no choice but to block it and retaliate. Leon made his way toward Hana quickly. She studied his face as she drew her katana, and noticed that he must have realized something she hadn't—his eyes were wider than she remembered from the last time they had fought, and he was much more tense. He readjusted towards his left… towards Aerith and Tomoko. Riku burst from his wake, sword drawn and eyes blazingly furious.

"Riku," Hana hissed fiercely under her breath, shooting a wind spell through her katana. He didn't have his keyblade, there was no way he could block it the way he used to…

Somehow, he glanced the spell off of his perfectly normal sword. In a flash of steel, Riku's sword and Hana's katana were grinding against each other, the owners glaring angrily. "You left," Hana barked. "You left me here."

Riku pushed harder against her katana, noticing Leon and Aerith drifting further and further away as they fought Tomoko in his peripheral vision. "Your partner almost killed my friend!"

"Your partner almost killed _my _friend!"

"Oh, yeah? What happened to hating them all?"

Hana felt his glare harden even further. His face was tinged red with anger, his eyes wide with fury. "Well, you've given me seventeen years to get used to the idea of being eternally damned."

"So now you're eternally damned?" he growled as her feet began to slide backward.

"Temporarily."

"I'm afraid you've lost me." With one final, muscle-wrenching heave, he shoved all of his weight onto his sword and pushed her backward. She toppled over, landing with a muted thud against the soft earth. Riku kicked her hand and the katana went flying several feet to her right, and he pointed his sword at her neck. "Would you like me to end your suffering?"

"It would do you no service to stick that blade through my neck," Hana answered calmly. "We are cursed by Akiko for attempted theft of the weapons you left in her care."

"My keyblade," Riku whispered, fondly remembering the ease of fighting with the keyblade compared to the cumbersome, old-fashioned sword. "Wait, you tried to steal them?"

"On orders from our boss, nearly the entire Adherence attempted to steal them. As a result, all of us are cursed. We cannot eat or sleep, but are forever hungry and tired. It grows worse every day… but neither can we kill ourselves or be killed to end the pain."

Riku felt a nostalgic stab of remembrance of the way things used to be for their friendship. He couldn't believe he was actually feeling pity for her.

"Listen… could you put that thing down? I feel like we have a lot to talk about…"

"Okay," he said warily, dropping the sword to his side and taking a seat on the ground next to Hana. He kept the sword clamped tightly in his hand, just in case he needed it. "You start. Why didn't you stop Korin from coming after Roxas that night?"

Hana sighed. "Do you have to start with that question?"

His eyes narrowed. "This is the easiest one."

She sighed again. "Right. Well, it's not as though I didn't try. I didn't want it to seem like I was a double-agent. I tried to be convincing. I had no idea that Roxas would be unprepared to fight her, and that none of you would be available to respond."

"We were having a war that night, Hana," Riku coldly pointed out. "We were all fighting elsewhere, you included."

"Yes, I pretended to get knocked out nearly right away, though, don't you recall? I didn't want to accidentally hurt you."

"You could have come to me when you knew that Korin was going after Roxas. He would have been prepared if he had known. She caught him at a very bad time."

Hana scoffed at that. "There are more important things than what was happening between he and Naminé."

"Not to him," Riku spat, clearly pronouncing and emphasizing every word. "Naminé is the biggest thing to happen to him in his whole life. She's the most important person in the world to him."

"You _were _the most important person to me," Hana grumbled.

Riku rolled his eyes. "You're just totally impossible, you know that? It really wasn't like I had any other choice."

"You could have at least waited until I fully switched sides before you left," she whined. "I was stuck with them for seventeen long years, Riku. Now, my hands are tied. I can't leave this side. Our numbers are nothing but swelling, while yours are decreasing. I cannot die until Akiko lifts our curse, and if all of you were killed and I was the only one left, they could torture me for the rest of eternity."

"Don't be so dramatic," Riku suggested, rolling his eyes again. "My friends and I are back. We can handle everything."

"No, you can't," Hana argued. "Not until you get your weapons back from Akiko, the immortal witch, at least."

"Seems like immortality has grown much less scarce than it was before we left."

"Oh, Riku. You have no idea."

"Getting our weapons back will be no big deal."

"So you'd think. You haven't been out to the Great Maw, have you?"

Riku shook his head. "No, we just got back."

"I figured as much," Hana sighed, looking grim as she rearranged her bangs. "Well, as soon as Korin brought Naminé back, she stationed tons of us there. That just happens to be the only way to get to the Dark Depths, where Akiko can be found."

"We'll send Roxas and Naminé, then."

"It won't be as easy as you think," she warned, rolling her eyes at his foolishness.

"Or maybe it will be just as easy as I think," he replied, watching the sky carefully as though he were expecting something to fall from it.

"You really shouldn't have returned," Hana said sadly. "No matter how much I missed you… you'll be killed."

"That always was your problem," Riku sighed. "You worry too much."

Hana nodded. "I do. I assume that's why I wasn't quite as attractive to you as the Queen, was I?"

Riku's vision whipped to stare at Hana's face. "Don't you dare bring that up. Not now, not ever," he uttered angrily.

"At least you learned _something_," Hana retorted bitterly. "Fine, then, if you don't want to talk anymore, I'll leave and fight with Leon while Korin kills Naminé."

She sprang up from her seat on the ground and dashed away so quickly that Riku's long, silvery hair quivered in the breeze that she stirred up. It took a moment for everything she had said to process, and then—"NAMINÉ!" Riku bounded after her, eyes wildly scanning the surrounding area to see where she had gone. After about a minute or so, Riku had a feeling that Roxas, Sora, and the girls were hidden in the section of woods just to his left, so he rapidly halted and cautiously entered the wooded area.

"Roxas?" he murmured.

Sure enough, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, and Yuri were all still carefully crouched and seated where he had left them before.

"Why did you run off?" Sora quietly questioned.

"I ran into Hana," Riku answered darkly.

"Hana…" Yuri, who had been far too drowsy to notice Riku's departure, muttered. "I've heard that name before… I know I have…"

"Who I ran into isn't important… I think they're going to try to do something to Naminé, and I really need someone to come with me."

Roxas was off the ground and grabbing the remaining sword that Aerith had left before Riku had finished the sentence. "Let's go!" he shouted to Riku, busting out of the ditch and sprinting in the direction that Leon and Aerith had run off earlier.

Riku followed in his wake, suddenly realizing something—Roxas didn't remember being in love with Naminé. He didn't know how he knew that, but somehow, he had a weird feeling that Roxas didn't remember the full story. The same way that Riku didn't remember everything about Hana, or everything about the Queen…

Sure, he remembered Hana, the overly cautious worrier. He remembered her plea as they fought to allow her to switch sides, or at least help him and his friends—she hated everything about her job, but couldn't get out of it unless she did it sneakily. And she would, obviously, need help to do that. Riku had tested her to make sure that she was trustworthy, and suddenly found himself friends with her. He made sure all of his friends knew to leave her alone when possible if they happened to be fighting Tomoko or Korin, since the three of them usually stuck together in a unit. He remembered her attraction to him… but his feelings for her were oddly foggy, which led him to believe that there were things in his past with her that he didn't _want_ to remember…

The Queen had been very good to Riku before they had left. She always trusted his advice, and he always considered her in his circle of close friends. She wasn't any older than him, and even permitted him to call him by just her first name, and not "your majesty". Everyone had suspected the Queen's feelings for Riku, and Hana somehow heard through the grapevine about the rumor, leading to a huge, bitter fight with Riku the night before he and his friends left Hollow Bastion.

The more he thought about it, the fuzzier it got. "Unsettling," Riku murmured to himself, rapidly catching up with Roxas.

* * *

"Aerith, you okay?" Leon demanded urgently, blocking another of Hana's strikes with his gunblade. 

Aerith had been hit with some sort of stinging spell that had prompted a yelp of pain, which somehow Leon had heard over Tomoko's shouts of slurred Latin, which was used to cast her spells, and over the noise of his own battle with Hana.

"Fine," she answered through gritted teeth as she prepared to reflect another of Tomoko's spells back at her. "You?"

He swung his heavy blade toward Hana for what felt like the millionth time, but her sword skills were far too refined. She blocked, and launched another intricate pattern of attack. "Just great," he replied in a similar tone. Suddenly, his eyes widened again, just as they had when he had noticed that Riku was following him towards Hana. "Aerith! Riku and Roxas!"

She spun towards them, braid whipping around into her face as she fired a bright red spell at Tomoko. "What are they doing? They heard my directions!"

Riku and Roxas breezed past the fighting and were at the door of the mysterious house in the distance in mere seconds. Easily kicking the door in, they found a shocked Korin, and Naminé, blond hair heavily ruffled and face-down on the ground, sobbing.

"YOU—" Roxas began furiously.

"I'll be seeing you," Korin promised, grinning cruelly. She disappeared as Roxas lunged.

Riku dropped his sword and hurried to Naminé's side. "Nami… what's wrong?"

Her face was redder than he had ever seen it, and she had an oddly blank look about her usually lively eyes. "I... I-I…" she stuttered in a hushed, quivery voice.

Roxas suddenly appeared, cradling her head in his lap. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"Aerith," Naminé finally managed, so quiet that it was almost silent. "Aerith."

"She needs Aerith," Riku filled in for her. "Come on, let's take her…"

Roxas lifted her with ease, and he and Riku flew out the door.

* * *

"Well," Aerith began, "Korin didn't do much damage… most of this is her own." 

"How… did this happen?" Roxas asked, absently running his fingers along the back of Naminé's hand, hoping that the gentle touch would wake her from the impenetrable slumber she had dropped into while they brought her to Aerith.

"Magic," Aerith sighed dismally. "Judging by her magic levels, she fried herself," she explained, "by which I mean took in more magic than she could handle at the present time."

"So it wasn't Korin," Roxas said worriedly. "It's not worse, is it?"

Aerith debated with herself for a moment. "Psychologically, the injury will be much greater than if it had been inflicted by someone else…"

"She'll be afraid to use magic again," Riku filled in for everyone sadly.

"How'd you read my mind like that?" Aerith asked, forehead crinkled with confusion.

"I didn't read your mind, did I? Usually I'm just perceptive…"

The look on her face softened. "All right. If you say so."

"Is she going to be okay?" Yuri asked, long since awakened.

"Perfectly fine," Aerith said positively. "Her magic will heal her faster than anybody will expect, I think."

"Good," Roxas murmured, leaving his hand to rest on Naminé's.

"As soon as she wakes up," Leon began, "we'll decide what we're going to do to get your old weapons back from Akiko. Until then, let's concentrate on getting Kairi's memory jogged… on all of you remembering everything. It's very important that you remember what you did before you left, especially what mistakes you made. And Aerith, make sure you get a look at Yuri…"

Riku nodded in understanding. Leon's reasoning made perfect sense; it was the same reason that most humans had for studying history. Past mistakes were not to be repeated. As Riku's mind drifted into his fresh memories, the words 'past mistakes' bounced off the inside of his skull, and Hana's face immediately appeared in front of his eyes. Had he made a mistake in trying to help her? If only he could remember…

* * *

_I'm dead_, Naminé dismally thought as she started into the inky black abyss. _Completely, totally dead. I've let everyone down…_

"Naminé?"

She heard a warm, familiar voice quietly saying her name, and could feel someone lightly touching her hand—the touch felt blazing against her frigid skin, but it didn't hurt. It felt nice.

And Naminé realized that she wasn't dead at all.

* * *

Haha. Hana backstory interesting? That particular plan came to me late at night. XD 

I mentioned two bombshells being dropped a few chapters back, correct? Hana's involvement with Riku and his friends was one. The other will be revealed in... chapter 11. Make sure you read and review, and watch for chapter 11, coming very soon :D

Thank you,

Lulala


	11. Alive and surrounded

I'm done with this a lot quicker than I expected! Hopefully you're all happy... getting an update again after just one week... :D

After lots of late night to early morning labor, I have one information and dialogue jammed chapter ready for you to read. Please enjoy!

* * *

"Roxas." 

His eyes widened, and his head perked up from a sad, hanging state to a fully awake position at the sound of her voice. "Naminé," he said again. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open, sparing Roxas the usual theatrics of slowly opening drowsy, lethargic eyes. "I… think so," she murmured, barely audible. Roxas's hand on her own was in her line of vision, and obscuring all rational thoughts.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that," he choked, quickly pulling his hand away from Naminé's to cover his face.

She half-smiled. "I'm glad you're still okay, too."

"This place is dangerous," Roxas quietly confided to her after quickly regaining his composure. "You've already almost been killed, Riku had a run-in with Hana, and Aerith got a pretty bad burn courtesy of Tomoko…"

"What can you expect?" Naminé sighed sadly, compensating for the loss of Roxas's hand by tugging her white blankets up further. "This place is at war…"

"And we've just been catapulted to the center of it all," Roxas finished for her. "Great."

"How is everyone else?" Naminé asked, making a great effort to sit up.

"They're all fine, for pete's sake would you _please_ lay down?"

Naminé smiled a little at Roxas's flurry of forceful words, and collapsed back into her pillows. "Korin didn't hurt me, you know."

"I know," he said, looking depressed again.

"It was my fault," she continued, watching him carefully.

"I know," he repeated hollowly. "Don't scare us like that again."

"You can't have been that scared. Aerith surely must have told you that I'd be fine."

"She did, but she mentioned that there might be some… lasting… side effects. We were afraid that when you woke, you wouldn't be… yourself," he slowly explained, fumbling with his words as he attempted to choose carefully.

"There aren't, I think," Naminé said uncertainly.

"Aerith was afraid that you'd be terrified to ever use magic again after what it did to you," Roxas said, pointedly staring at the ground.

"The magic didn't do anything. I told you, it was my fault, and I can't blame the magic for something I inflicted upon myself."

"Did you know that was going to happen before you did it?" Roxas asked, raising his eyes to meet hers.

She shook her head. "No, I assumed that the land would recognize me as the same girl from seventeen years ago… but it didn't. I wonder why that is."

"There seem to be some hiccups in all of this remembering business in general," Roxas agreed. "Kairi finally had her moment, after a lot of probing from Sora… but Riku doesn't remember hardly anything about Hana, other than the bare, general facts."

"I remember the Hana incident perfectly clearly," Naminé sighed. "He led her to believe that she had a chance when he was so clearly in love with somebody else… do you remember?"

Roxas nodded. "I tried to find a nice way to explain what happened, but I couldn't… so I decided to wait and see if he'd remember."

"A wise decision," Naminé nodded in agreement. "What about Yuri?"

"What about her?"

"Has she remembered anything?"

Roxas's eyes widened. "You… remember her? I'm not the only one?"

Naminé looked confused. "What… are you talking about?"

"Leon asked me not to tell others anything about Yuri," he replied carefully. "Especially not to mention a word to her."

"Oh," Naminé said, almost finding what Roxas had told her amusing. "Does he really think that there even the slightest chance that it isn't her?"

Roxas shrugged. "I have no idea _what_ he's thinking anymore."

"You know," Naminé began thoughtfully, tugging what she could of her hair into a ponytail, "the way we talk, it seems like we've just stumbled into an alternate reality… we don't sound anything like we did even the day before yesterday, before we came here…"

"You're right," Roxas mused. "It seems like we picked up right in the middle of a movie… there was no beginning, and we don't seem to be our old selves anymore…"

"I don't know about that," Naminé giggled. "You're still as smart as ever, and I'm desperately craving my iPod. Listening to some Smashing Pumpkins would be great right about now. Adore, maybe."

Roxas laughed. "No kidding! I miss all of my things, as well. I miss living without a care in the world… without having to worry about dying tomorrow, or maybe even today…"

Naminé captured his hand in hers comfortingly. "We lived like this before, and we'll do it again."

He half-smiled, and nodded. "I guess that's the only option, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she said, sounding a bit sad. "What I wouldn't give to have that diary that I lost right before we left home!"

Roxas could feel the heat of shame tingeing his cheeks crimson. She had just presented the perfect opportunity to tell her the truth, and return it to her, but for some reason, Roxas didn't want to let go of that precious piece of Naminé quite yet.

"Leon's going to send some of us to collect our things from Akiko," Roxas said conversationally, smoothly changing the topic. "I don't think he'd choose you, though, for obvious reasons."

She sighed inwardly. Why wouldn't anyone believe her? She was absolutely fine. "I'd like to go, though," she told him. "I haven't seen Akiko in years, and she and I used to be great friends, you know."

"She's become immortal since you last saw her. At least, that's what Riku told me."

Akiko, a witch who was becoming the stuff of legend, had been a prominent figure in Hollow Bastion ever since her rise to power at the young age of fifteen. In order to prevent their powerful weapons from being stolen while they were gone, the five warriors had given them to Akiko. She was the only place where the weapons would absolutely never be able to be touched, and Riku, Sora, Roxas, and Kairi's keyblades all required that type of security. The Queen's katana, passed down in her family for a staggering number of generations, had been left in the care of Akiko as well. Naminé's weapons, a unique set of magical daggers, were just as valuable, though nobody could wield them in the same way as she did, and also required protection.

"Immortal!" Naminé gasped, her hand leaving Roxas's and gravitating towards her mouth in shock.

Roxas hesitated. "Isn't that… what she wanted?"

Naminé's expression was conflicted. "Yes… and no."

Riku and Sora burst into the room. "You're okay!" Sora breathed, rushing to Naminé's side.

"So are you," she grinned.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Riku told her, smiling widely.

"Me, too."

"Has Roxas been catching you up with everything? Geez, Naminé, lay down!" Sora chided.

Another attempt by Naminé to sit herself up had been quickly thwarted by Sora. "Yes, he's been telling me everything," she pouted. "I can't believe Akiko is immortal!"

"Yeah, she and the rest of the Adherence," Riku said darkly.

"WHAT?"

Riku looked sheepish. "Did… Roxas forget to mention that?"

Naminé whirled on Roxas. "You should have mentioned that, oh, maybe _first_?"

"Sorry," Roxas offered meekly. "It sort of slipped my mind—I mean, you were awake and everything—"

"What are we going to do?" she moaned. "If they're immortal, that means they can't die…"

"Very good, you know what it means," Sora mildly teased.

"Which means we can't kill them…"

"Calm down," Riku suggested. "It's a curse from Akiko. We were hoping you'd be able to persuade her to lift it."

"Lift the curse?"

"So we can kill them," Riku said simply. "To get rid of them, we have to kill them."

Everyone sat in silence, unwilling to move or speak. The truth had come out, and none of them liked it. Kairi entered shortly after, bearing a message from Leon.

"I've just been to speak with him," she told Naminé, "and he needs you to speak to Akiko. As soon as you feel able, you and two others will journey to her and retrieve our weapons, and get her to lift the curse that she placed upon the Adherence."

Naminé nodded. "It shouldn't be more than two days."

Kairi smiled warmly. "Good! Glad to hear that you'll recover so quickly… I was really worried…"

"I'll be fine," Naminé assured her, sitting herself up.

Nobody stopped her.

* * *

Riku sat, unmoving, staring off into the endless gardens of the castle, all of which had somehow survived the war that was raging outside the castle walls. Many of the other plants around Hollow Bastion had been scorched, broken, trampled, ripped from the ground… to see such a massive expanse of green was a bit startling. He couldn't seem to rip his gaze from it. 

"Riku?"

He reluctantly turned at the sound of his name. "Yuri… how are you?"

She made a face. "Probably not as bad as you, though… I would be terrified…"

"I'm not," Riku sighed. "Or not as afraid as I thought I would be. Why are you feeling bad?"

"I just… I'm completely out of place here," she murmured. "I don't know where I belong. All of you are remembering these things that you've done, and… I'm the odd one out."

"You were somebody," Riku assured her. "I know you were. Leon knows you were, too, or he wouldn't have brought you here."

"I wish that I knew who I was," she said sullenly. "In the mean time, I was hoping… that you could tell me about… Hana."

His nose wrinkled in confusion. "Hana? Why do you care about Hana?"

"Her name just sounds… really, really familiar."

Riku shrugged, figuring there would be no harm in telling Yuri what he could remember of the story. Her bangs brushing across her face with a brisk gust of wind, Riku wracked his brains for memories of Hana.

"She's a member of the Adherence," he began confidently. "She had blonde hair, and hung around with Korin and Tomoko, two other girls who we fought with a lot. I fought Hana regularly, and one day, while we were fighting, she begged me to allow her onto our side. She claimed that she hated it where she was…"

"What did you do?" Yuri prodded eagerly.

"I figured there was no harm in at least seeing if she could be trusted," Riku explained. "After a few weeks, it seemed that she had done everything I asked her to, so I warned the others to avoid her during combat… she was helping us a lot, giving away a lot of valuable information… she and I became close friends, actually."

"Really," Yuri said blankly, an oddly distant look about her.

"Not long after, she failed to inform us of Korin's plot to murder Roxas," Riku said bitterly. "When I called her on it, she went off on me about being 'in love' with another fighter that used a katana like she did… the Queen… and we got in a fight. The next day, we left…"

Riku glanced over at Yuri. She lay sprawled out awkwardly on the ground, holding her head in her hands and looking excruciatingly pained.

"Oh my god," Riku gasped, jumping down from his perch on the short stone wall and immediately kneeling at Yuri's side, repeatedly saying her name. He tried to pick her up, but was zapped painfully by some sort of strange magic that seemed to be all around her. He knew she needed help, but he couldn't move her, and he didn't want to leave her. He resorted to shouting at the top of his lungs for help, but he knew that it would be several minutes before anyone would hear him and respond…

Yuri writhed in pain, and Riku's heart broke with every moment he had to watch one of his best friends looking so helpless and wounded. He tried every curing spell he knew, but nothing seemed to help Yuri's state at all. Eventually, the seizure-like movement stopped, and the odd, zappy magic vanished, much to Riku's relief. He grabbed for Yuri, scooping her up off of the ground and making a break for the hospital wing of the castle, where Naminé was already situated.

Yuri flopped lifelessly in his arms as he frantically tried to diagnose her mysterious collapse.

"Riku?"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…"

"Riku, please put me down."

He looked down at her. She was wide awake.

"Whoa. What is your problem? One minute you're seizing on the ground, and the next, you're totally fine? It's almost as if you…" his voice trailed off uncertainly, indicating that he had thought better of what he was going to say.

"Almost as if I… remembered?" she quietly finished for him.

"Yeah," he affirmed. "Almost as if you remembered."

"Riku, what was all that yelling about?" Leon had rounded the corner at a sprint, almost running head-on into Riku, who was still carrying Yuri.

"Yuri collapsed; she needs to get to the hospital…"

Leon surveyed her critically. "Are you okay? You look absolutely fine, but…"

"I'm fine," Yuri assured him, giving Riku a look of discomfort.

"I'm not setting you down," he snapped, continuing past Leon and rounding the corner.

"I was coming to find you because we wanted to have a quick meeting to discuss our options," Leon said, suddenly walking beside Riku and Yuri.

"So they've made a move," Riku said sadly. "Great. We don't have our weapons and they're already closing in on us…"

"Closing in? No, not quite," Leon said, looking slightly amused. "Aerith is right, you know. It's almost like you can read minds."

"Like I said, I'm just perceptive. I can easily draw inferences from what people say, especially from the tone of their voice," Riku shrugged.

"Or," Yuri said, smiling a little, "you can read minds."

"You probably haven't re-sharpened all of your skills quite yet," Leon reminded him.

"Hey, I think I'd be able to remember if I could do something that awesome. Or you would remember, at least."

"Maybe you never told anyone before, and you keep spitting things out now because you don't know you can do it," Leon suggested, bemused.

"We'll see, but, personally, I think you're crazy," Riku said flatly.

Leon smiled. "Yeah, we _will _see about that."

Everyone was already gathered in the hospital wing around Naminé's bed chatting nervously amongst themselves. Riku set Yuri gingerly on the bed next to Naminé's to await inspection by Aerith. The circle of people widened to enclose the two beds, and silence fell.

"They've surrounded the castle," Leon said unsmilingly. "It's bad… they know you all haven't fought in years, and are ready to take advantage of that."

"We're surrounded," Naminé said dismally. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," Aerith stepped in as she examined Yuri's pupils for signs of concussion, "there are a few options secret passage-wise that they definitely don't know about."

"To make any gains at all, a few of us still have to leave to get our weapons from Akiko," Riku said, eyes ignited with annoyance. "How troublesome."

Aerith cast Leon a knowing look, and continued. "We've checked maps of the secret ways out of the castle, and Ivy Pass seems to be our best option, as it leads straight down from here to the entrance of The Great Maw, an enormous plain that must be crossed to get to Akiko's home. It goes directly from one of the Queen's chambers."

"Ivy Pass can't be used," Yuri said quietly.

Everyone turned to stare at her. "And why not?" Leon demanded.

"Because… I destroyed it."

Mouths dropped to the floor, and everyone gaped.

"Yuri. I can't believe you didn't tell me," Riku grumbled.

"Didn't tell you what?" Kairi asked, still watching Yuri with wide, surprised eyes.

"Yuri is the Queen," Riku said confidently, "and, to top it off, she's remembered, but didn't tell anybody."

* * *

...bombshell number two. Now remember, no hating me! XD Someone guessed this, actually, cookies for them. Are you hooked on this yet? Because I am. I wouldn't be up at 2:24 in the morning finishing this if I wasn't. XD 

I can make it over 100 reviews, I know I can... wanna help me? You know how I love reviews. :D

Thank you for reading!

Lulala


	12. Inadvisable Advisory

Hello :D

Thought I'd get this up before I go on a trip to check out some colleges. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making the last chapter the most reviewed of the whole story, and for getting me up over my goal of 100 reviews! I'm so incredibly pleased at the response to this story. You're all making it extra-special for me. :D

Anyways--major bombshell dropped at the end of last chapter. This one is interesting, and very long. I couldn't find an appropriate place to end it. I tried to make it less cliffy than other chapters, because I know how you all hate cliffhangers. I especially like the end of this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write. Please enjoy :D

* * *

The tension of disbelief in the room rose to an unbearable height as red burned on Yuri's cheeks. "I'm sorry… Leon came along, and the opportunity to tell you never really presented itself," she timidly explained. 

"You might have told all of us when the meeting started," Riku pointed out indignantly.

"Sorry," Yuri said again, voice growing stronger. "It seems you knew either way, though."

"True," Riku admitted grudgingly.

"Needless to say, we're really glad to have you back," Aerith smiled as the others still gaped. The Yuri they had known was not exactly Queen material, but ever since their return to Hollow Bastion, she had been nothing but serious and desperately attempting to help them devise a way to outwit the Adherence.

"We can finally get something done," Leon added, grateful.

"Surreal," Naminé murmured. She and Roxas shared a light, humor-filled glance that caused her to drop her eyes to the ground in embarrassment.

"How have things been here?" Yuri asked Aerith.

"Not very well, I'm afraid," Aerith answered, frowning. "I'm sure you'll be able to help us fix things, though."

"I'll certainly try," Yuri smiled, turning slightly to survey the faces of her companions. "We should depart for Akiko's immediately, using—"

"_You'll_ be going nowhere," Riku interrupted her. "You're needed here, aren't you? Roxas, Naminé, and Sora can go to Akiko."

Yuri sighed, immediately realizing that Riku was right. "Okay, then, but I'll only feel safe if four of you go."

"Kairi?" Riku turned to her expectantly.

"Of course," she nodded.

"I'll be ready to go tomorrow," Naminé announced. "Tomorrow morning, we should leave."

"Tomorrow morning," Yuri agreed. "My suggestion would be to take the passage that leads from the library into the mountainous area just above the Great Maw, as Ivy Pass is now caved in."

"I guess that was our second choice," Leon shrugged. "It'll be a little more walking…"

"No transporting, or they'll sense the magic, I suppose," Riku mused.

"Precisely," Yuri nodded. "No magic whatsoever, unless it's very basic or in battle." Naminé and Sora both looked disappointed.

"I'd recommend all of you head to the armory, and pick something to use," Aerith suggested. "Assuming you all remember where it is."

Sora and Roxas both scowled, arms folded across their chests. "We can take anything?" Sora asked a bit eagerly, though he still looked offended that Aerith didn't think they'd remember something like that.

"Anything," Aerith nodded.

"Practicing with each other might also be a good idea… you know, get back into the swing of things…" Leon let his voice trail off.

Naminé smiled to herself. Her fingers had been all but demanding that she pick up some sort of weapon again; it had been so long…

It seemed everyone else felt the same way. Sora, Kairi, and even Yuri and Riku filed out of the room and began towards the armory, even though they weren't going to retrieve the weapons from Akiko. Aerith and Leon zipped off to set up a meeting for Yuri with her new board of advisors, and Roxas lingered, watching Naminé carefully.

"You're not going to get a weapon, too?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

Roxas looked down at the ground to avoid her blue eyed gaze. "I was thinking… would you like to come along? I know you're still probably sore and everything, but I could help—"

Naminé threw back her blankets, revealing her baggy white pajama pants and white tank top, and stood up. "I'd love to! Thank you for thinking of me, nobody else did…" she smiled.

Roxas could feel his face coloring. Naminé's diary was in his bag in his room… she knew, she would find out… _No. I'll give it back… soon_. He thought.

"Here…" he gently took her arm and put it over his shoulder. Delicately, he hooked his arm around her waist, and they started slowly walking.

Naminé knew her face would give away what she thought of this whole situation. She didn't need the help walking—she was fine, after all—but didn't want to break the news to Roxas. "You'd think they'd have wheelchairs around here," he commented. Was it just Naminé's imagination, or did Roxas look mortified?

"It would be helpful," Naminé agreed. "Not that I mind this or anything…"

"Of course not…"

Awkward silence.

The shuffling of their feet along the marble floors bounced off the walls and back at them, continuously reminding Naminé of her current state—hanging all over Roxas while he pulled her along, even though she didn't need it…

"Do you remember… saving me?" Roxas asked carefully. This question had been stinging at the back of his mind all day, as he sat waiting for Naminé to wake up. He knew that the subject might be delicate, but the silence had been so inviting that the question had just slipped out.

Naminé surprisingly smiled. "Yes, I do. And I'd do it all over again, if I had to."

Roxas was so thrown off by this that he almost completely stopped walking. "Korin won't rest until she kills you… she's so dangerous, you'd risk provoking her again for…_ me_?"

"Korin won't rest until I finish her, you mean," Naminé corrected, eyes shining. "Of course I'd risk that again. You must think I really don't like you, or something, you idiot."

Roxas flushed, embarrassed. "I'm not an idiot, am I?"

Naminé smiled playfully. "I don't think so. But I could be wrong."

Roxas smiled back. "No, I think you're right. You're smart, I'll trust you."

"If you trust my judgment, then you're definitely not an idiot."

Laughing, Roxas ruffled Naminé's hair. "Okay, glad we could come to an agreement. I'm not an idiot, then."

"Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise, immediately reaching up and rearranging her perfect hair. Roxas mentally kicked himself for messing it up, and felt an odd internal urge to reach over and fix it himself.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled, humiliated.

Naminé merely laughed. "It's okay, don't you worry at all about it."

The sharp awareness of their close proximity had dulled a bit for Roxas, and he felt more comfortable with every step they took. A grin breaking onto his face, they took a left and continued to the basement armory.

* * *

"I don't know… what do you think of this one?" Sora asked Riku uncertainly, handling a long, ancient-looking sword. 

Riku wrinkled his nose. "Doesn't that one seem old?"

"They're all sturdy and well-kept, though," Yuri called to them from across the room.

The armory, a large, brown room with walls completely covered by weapon cases, was located in one of the many basements beneath the castle. The tracks of lights set into the ceiling shone off the glass at the front of the cases, brightening the room considerably, though the general hue of brown from the dull russet floor and the tan colored wood of the weapon cases wasn't dissipated. A whole case of shields was situated against the north wall, and the remaining three cases were devoted to other types of weapons of all shapes and sizes. The rest of the room was a wide, open space, most likely left that way so that anybody who was looking for a new weapon had room to test it if they wished.

Kairi was surveying a handsome bow while Yuri was eyeing her family's collection of katanas, none of which seemed to fit her standards, since she had previously used one of the best katanas ever made.

Riku had already chosen a sword: long and silver with a plain black scabbard. He combed through the rest of the swords, helping Sora to choose a nice one.

When Roxas and Naminé slowly entered the room via the staircase, everyone seemed to light up at the fact that Naminé was out of bed. They all dropped what they were doing to cheer and clap, and, grinning widely, Naminé broke away from Roxas's support and curtsied. "Feels great to be up!" she happily declared.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Sora smiled, moving towards her to give her a hug.

"Yeah, we'll be all ready to go tomorrow, assuming I can find a nice weapon to use," she said, eyeing a line of spears to her left.

"There's a lot to pick from," Roxas noted as Sora returned to Riku, who was still helping him find one. "What're you—"

Naminé was already across the room, surveying a black and silver, lethal-looking spear. "I think I'll take this," she murmured, lifting it from its hook. "What do you think of this?" she immediately asked Roxas.

"Looks positively deadly," he assured her, attention turning toward the case of swords that Riku and Sora were standing near. He wandered over, Naminé sticking close by him, though not clinging to him as she previously was. It seemed she could, for now, at least, walk on her own.

Roxas made his selection almost as quickly as Naminé had, and as everyone else cleared out of the armory, Roxas and Naminé spent the next three hours practicing.

* * *

"Listen, I need to make a last minute addition to the advisors here," Yuri said hurriedly in Aerith's ear. "Do you think they'll mind…?" 

"Not at all," she assured her. "Proceed… introduce whomever it is, and we'll begin."

"Excuse me," Yuri said, voice carrying over the twenty some men and women, plus Leon and Aerith, that had crowded into one of the many audience chambers found in the castle. "I know that you all know each other, but I wanted to add a great friend of mine, who has led me through a large portion of my life…"

Riku stepped into the chamber, looking, for once in his life, timid.

"This is Riku, and he's now one of you. That is, one of my advisors. Anyway, let's begin. What's first?"

"The prophecy," one old, grizzled man said shakily. "Shall we abide by what it says, or not?"

Yuri looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Yes, we shall, but that shouldn't stop us from allowing others to help in any way possible. Our five newly-returned warriors will do everything in their power to save us, and so will I."

Leon and Aerith were both nodding in approval, and she gave them a quick, nervous smile.

"Aid possibilities," a fairly young, attractive woman said loudly. "I firmly believe that we can't do this alone, your majesty, and there is one particularly good option to get help from others."

"Oh no," Riku said immediately. "I know what you're thinking, and I don't think that's a good idea _at all_…"

"Oh, at least let me say it," the woman snapped. "Majesty, there is a prince just one year older than you in a world not far from here that has already asked us to consider his proposal of marriage."

Aghast, Yuri's eyes immediately darted to Riku, who looked a few degrees past furious. "Marriage?" she repeated wildly, voice cracking. "Whatever for?"

"You see," Leon stepped in, much to the annoyance of the woman, "if you were to marry this prince, his world would bring thousands of fighters to aid us in ridding ourselves of the Adherence. I realize this option may not be the most appealing to you, but it would be quite helpful—"

"Of course," she said sadly. "The best option is to have me married off before I'm 18, to a man I don't even know. I definitely don't support that idea."

"I know this must be hard for you," Aerith said apologetically. "But, really, he's right—this is the fastest, easiest, and most painless way to get the help that we need."

"And what makes you all doubt that our warriors can do this without help?" Yuri demanded. "The prophecy tells us that—"

"I think," a middle-aged, squat man began, "that we can throw that prophecy out the window. Never once did it mention our fighters disappearing for seventeen years after they failed their task the first time around, so I think it's safe to say that it was never meant to be accurate. We should disregard what was told to us through the prophecy."

Yuri chanced another glance at Riku, whose expression of fury had dissipated to more of a morose, defeated look. "Riku?" she said expectantly. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? Well, obviously, I think it's a horrible idea to marry someone you don't love. You don't think that's okay, I know you don't."

"But… Riku, if I do, they'll help us," she said, softening as she realized that her advisors were, most unfortunately, correct.

"Fine, do whatever," Riku mumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "Just know that I'm disappointed in you." He spun around and forcefully shoved open the doors to the audience chamber. In a clatter of closing doors, Riku had gone.

* * *

Riku sat, brooding, on the same perch he had been earlier that day—overlooking the peaceful, healthy gardens. His mind was twisting itself into a knot as his memories pounded relentlessly against his skull, lighting up his vision with pictures of he and Yuri from the past. Before they left, marriage talks had begun for Yuri, but Riku never imagined that they'd come to pass… he always thought that brave, strong Yuri would tell them she would only marry for love… 

He couldn't remember what he felt for her, but he knew that it was strong. She probably could remember less than he could about what their relationship exactly was. For some reason, however unexplainable, the thought of Yuri marrying a stuck-up prince from a foreign world was siphoning away at his insides, making him upset, and making him angry all at once.

That was it—he had to find out what had gone on. The first person he thought to talk with was the ever-observant Naminé. Just as he was about to leap off the wall and head to the armory to talk with her (somehow he knew that she was there, though he wasn't entirely sure how), he came face-to-face with the person he least wanted to talk with at the moment.

"Come here often?" Yuri asked.

Riku half-scowled. "Only when I feel down, I guess."

"I think maybe we should talk…"

"About what?" Riku immediately demanded. "You've made up your mind, and I don't know how anything I could say would change it."

Taken aback, Yuri stammered, "But—Riku, I value your opinion—"

"Not as much as that old man's, apparently."

"Oh, would you just stop it?" Yuri all but yelled. "This is the most immature I've ever seen you act in my life! You come back here and realize that you have amazing powers, so you use and abuse them to read people's minds and act like you can do anything, when if you really remembered the past at all, you'd know that you just can't, Riku! Every ounce of intelligence you have is cancelled out by arrogance, and—"

"Are you finished?" he murmured tersely, their eyes locking in an explosion of furious electricity.

"No, I'm not!" she snapped harshly. "You can't remember two of the most important people in your life, and you can't remember how many of us almost died, and yet, you think you know everything. You definitely, definitely don't!"

"Okay," he said in a low voice. "So, do you want to know what I think of you, then?"

"Yes," Yuri said shortly. "Lay it on me."

"Well, first of all, there is definitely no need to shout."

"Just get on with it, geez."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but didn't comment on her completely evident anger. "You are a Queen, and you make basically all the executive decisions in this world, with some help from your advisors, of course." He rolled his eyes. "Your parents died when you were young, leaving you to master the magic of Hollow Bastion by yourself. You foresaw the coming of the Adherence. You did everything you could, magically, to keep them out. They found the loophole, and entered, polluting and poisoning our world… killing innocent people, and trying to kill us. Forcing us to kill when we didn't want to."

"Your point?" she said impatiently.

"We were great friends," he said quietly. "You and I. We never spent much time apart, and you'd always ask me what I thought you should do. We practiced fighting together, but you'd always cheat and use your magic, and I'd lose. I told you that I could use my magic to see what other people were thinking, but I never told anybody else. Something about you was trustworthy… something about you told me that you wouldn't get mad or try to sensor your thoughts when I was around."

"So, wait—"

Riku shushed her. "I'm not finished. When Hana and I became friends, you got angry at me, just like you are right now. You told me I was immature, and arrogant, and that you'd never trust me or ask me for advice again. When we left here, you were still angry at me, because you thought that I loved her, even though I didn't. Your advisors back then were always pestering you to get married to some prince or king, but you'd always laugh it off and tell them that you already had someone in mind, but you never said who."

"Seriously, Riku—"

"You always had someone in mind," he said again, raising his voice slightly to talk over her. "I knew who. And that's why you got so angry with me when Hana and I became close."

Tears started gathering in Yuri's eyes as Riku spoke. "What is the point in telling me all of this?"

"You said I couldn't remember two of the most important people in my life," Riku told her in a hushed, flat tone. "I was thinking about why I was so angry at you, and now I know."

"Riku, I…"

Shockingly, he half-smiled. "I know. You have to do what you have to do. That doesn't mean that it doesn't suck, though."

"That wasn't what I was going to say."

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

She smiled wryly, quickly brushing away a tear. "You must be getting rusty."

He returned her smile. "Maybe."

"I was going to say that I really wish I didn't have to marry somebody that I don't love. I wish I could marry the person I always planned on getting married to."

"And if he's any kind of person at all, he probably wishes that he could marry you, too."

After a moment of silence, Yuri extended her hand to him. "Friends?"

He slapped her five instead of shaking her hand. "I think I can handle that. Sorry for making you angry."

She looked embarrassed. "Sorry for—you know—yelling at you."

"Sometimes, I deserve to be yelled at."

"Sometimes, you don't."

"Well, we'll have lots of time together for practicing and catching up, since everyone else is leaving tomorrow," Riku changed the topic instead of arguing with her.

"Right… I'll try not to cheat," she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'll get you if you do," he teased. "I'm smarter this time, I know all your tricks!"

"We'll see about that!" she quickly dashed away, dress rustling against the wind. Riku hopped off of the wall and chased after her, feeling much better about knowing what had actually happened. Somehow, though, he felt like he still ought to pay Naminé a late night visit before she left.

He sighed inwardly. Always, he had gone to Naminé for advice. Some things just never changed.

* * *

Mhmm. Lots more information :D Well, in the next chapter, more big things will be happening as Sora, Naminé, Roxas, and Kairi head out to get their weapons, and Yuri's suitor pays a visit to Hollow Bastion... 

Thank you all so much for reading, please review :D

Thank you,

Lulala


	13. Matters at Hand

Hello! It's been a good month or so, and I've only had time to properly work on this recently. Anyways. I have returned with a fresh chapter for you all to read! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews... I'm so happy to see this story doing so well! It really is the most challenging and unique one I have written to date. Please enjoy... lucky chapter 13 :D

* * *

Roxas swung his sword purposefully at Naminé, and with a flash of light and an echoing clang of metal, Naminé blocked it easily with the body of her spear, and shoved against his sword. 

Smiling menacingly, he stood fast and unmoving as Naminé pushed with all the upper body strength she possessed, trying to knock the sword from his hands. "Come on, Naminé!" Roxas egged her on teasingly.

Smirking, she twisted her spear away from the sword, knocking it from Roxas's startled hands in the process. He stood, shocked, as Naminé pointed the spear at his throat. "I win," she proclaimed.

"That you do," Roxas admitted. "Are you gonna take that thing out of my face, or what?"

"What? Oh, sorry," she flushed, dropping her spear to her side. "Sorry for beating you again."

Roxas grinned. "I must just be really out of practice."

"Or maybe you're just not very good," she ribbed good-naturedly.

"Hey, no need to talk like that," he laughed.

"Well, you wouldn't want me to lie, would you?" she asked innocently.

Roxas smiled, but didn't answer the question. "Either way, you don't seem to need any more practice, we've been at this for nearly three hours…"

"Three?" Naminé repeated, startled. "I guess time _does_ fly when you're having fun."

"Better head out and get to sleep… you'll have us all out of bed at the crack of dawn tomorrow, I'm sure." He grinned at her sheepishly.

She made a noise of disgust. "Seriously, Roxas. Just for that, I'll wake you up early. Make sure you pack light."

"I don't have much to bring along," he said, sighing inwardly as he thought of packing the diary.

"That's a good thing, though," she pointed out, leading the way from the armory. "We won't need to pack food, since I can cast a spell on a pack to keep filling itself with food, and it won't go bad… that should lighten our load a bit."

"You can _do_ that?" Roxas asked in amazement.

"Of course I can," Naminé giggled. "You forgot a lot, I think, Roxas. I can do anything."

He laughed. "I'm sure you can."

* * *

It took several minutes to reach the west tower of the castle, where their rooms, as well as Sora's, Riku's, and Kairi's, were located. The massive, marble landing of the tower had five large, oak doors, leading to their five separate rooms. Naminé bid Roxas goodnight, and watched him disappear behind the heavy door of his room. As her eyes sank to the ground with fatigue, she slowly pushed against the door of the room she had been absent from for the past seventeen years, ready for it to be an absolute mess. 

Her face lit up with happiness when she found it exactly as she had left it. The entire room was decorated in white, black, and a vibrant cerulean blue. Her large canopy bed, white curtains lightly flapping in the slight breeze from the open window, was freshly made with blue sheets and a fluffy white down comforter. Three white bookshelves, groaning under the weight of hundreds of magic books, were without a single speck of the dust that Naminé was expecting. None of her clothes were missing from her walk-in closet, and all the papers and books left out on her desk remained undisturbed. Being welcomed home by having all of her things in their proper places made her feel more wonderful than ever.

Glowing from a great practice with Roxas, she set her spear against the north wall of her room, and headed into her closet to find a bag to pack her clothes in. All of them had long since ditched their clothes from Earth, which were folded and placed in Naminé's comfortable black reading chair. She had almost forgotten how different clothes were here in comparison to there—light cottons, and nearly all natural fabrics could be found in her closet, while back in her high school closet, fabrics that probably didn't even exist here were all she had owned. Despite the fact that she knew she would sorely miss denim jeans, she happily packed clothes that she knew would be all right for living in the wilderness for what would most likely be at least a week.

* * *

Riku's conscience was nagging him not to disturb Naminé when he knew she was probably packing. For some reason, as he stood, staring blankly at the solid wood of her door, he couldn't pick up what she was thinking at the moment, and decided against his better judgment that he'd just knock anyway. As he lifted his hand from its relaxed position at his side to knock on the door, it flew open as though it had read his mind. Curious, he cautiously moved into the room, finding Naminé sitting on the ground, her legs folded like a pretzel, and her eyes pressed shut. She was placidly taking deep breaths, and didn't acknowledge Riku for several seconds. 

When she finally did, it caught him a bit off guard. "What, Riku?"

"What… are you doing?" he slowly asked, her eyes still closed.

She quickly stood up, catching him off guard for a second time. "Meditating."

He raised an eyebrow. "You meditate?"

"It's relaxing. Very good for magic, you know," she explained, straightening out her white flannel pants and black cotton tank top. "I knew you were outside… but why are you here so late?"

"I got in a fight with Yuri today," he told her, misery taking over his voice at just the thought of it.

"I heard," Naminé replied, giving him a knowing look.

"How did you hear?"

"Who didn't hear is a better question, really," Naminé pointed out, smiling slightly.

"You enjoy gossip, don't you?" Riku muttered.

"Yes, I do," Naminé giggled. "Not bad gossip. But I like to hear about you struggling when the answer is right in front of you. I'm entertained by that, for some reason."

"You're horrible," Riku sighed. "You think that this is so easy, don't you?"

"Yes," Naminé said slowly, nodding. "Before, you would have agreed with me. Earth has changed you, though, I think. You think much less logically now than you used to."

Riku made a crooked, uncertain face.

"You know I'm right," Naminé continued. "You know that you think more now with your heart than you ever have before, and that's why you're so unsure of things."

"So, I'm unsure now because I used to know what was right logically, but I can't see that anymore. Am I right?" Riku carefully sorted out.

"I think so," Naminé said, nodding again. "I could be wrong, though."

"Unlikely," Riku half-smiled. "So my heart says…"

"You love her," Naminé supplied for him.

"Right," Riku mumbled under his breath. "But my head says…"

"That you know she has to marry this person that she doesn't know."

"I wish I could just listen to my head," he said, eyeing her sadly, expecting her to tell him how to ignore the way he felt. "Life would be much easier if I could stop thinking about what could have been."

"Well," Naminé began slowly, "you've got awhile to convince her not to get married."

"No, I haven't," Riku sighed. "I very stupidly told her that I understood."

"You what?"

Riku almost smiled at Naminé's snappish response. "I don't even understand this. How can we just be normal friends on Earth, and then we come here and suddenly everything has changed?"

"You didn't answer my question," Naminé said, almost sounding angry. "You told her _what_?"

"I said… I understood why she had to get married."

"Idiot."

"Thank you."

"No, really, that wasn't a joke."

Riku couldn't help laughing. Naminé throwing out insults was so rare, that it was rather humorous any time she did it. "It wasn't a joke!" Naminé repeated firmly.

"I know," he said, still smiling. "Your reaction was just so out of character."

"Well, you know what you have to do, right?" she prodded.

"No, actually, I had every intention of trying to forget about it," he confessed.

"I still stand by that you are an idiot," she said, giving him a piercing look with her startlingly blue eyes. "And you have to win her back. Idiot."

"I'm stupid," he agreed. "Very, very stupid. But even I know that there's no hope of winning her back."

"Riku," Naminé began pointedly, "you won the heart of pretty much every girl in our high school. Where the hell is that magic right now? One bat of your pretty, girly eyelashes could make anyone swoon. Whip out that maneuver! Come on, I know you've got _something_ up your sleeve!"

Riku looked up at the ceiling in thought. "I understand what you're saying…"

"Oh come on, admit it. You know I'm right."

"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's possible…"

"What if the man she is going to marry is horrible?" Naminé demanded. "What will you do then?"

"Protect her," Riku said simply. "I'll do what I can, but, until then…"

"I still think you're being stupid," Naminé told him bluntly.

"I know I am," Riku sighed. "And I know you're right, you're always right. I have to do something, but I don't know if I can."

Naminé eyed him critically. "Look deep inside, Riku, and I know you'll think of something."

He smiled widely. "Thank you. Nice to know that you still believe in me, even if I am an idiot."

"That's right," Naminé smiled back. "I'll always believe in you. Behave while we're gone, okay?"

Riku gave her a look. "Yes, mother."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "We're at war, Riku. All I meant was don't rip out the throat of this mystery prince when he arrives here for a visit tomorrow. We're already fighting one enormous squadron of skilled fighters, and we don't need his world's military over here, as well."

"How do you know he's visiting tomorrow?" Riku demanded.

Naminé's eyes twinkled. "Research. They're going to speed this along as much as possible, since we really, really need the help that this match could potentially provide. You'll see. You said it yourself: I'm always right."

"I suppose so," Riku grudgingly admitted. "Be safe, please. I don't know what I'll do if any of you die."

Naminé smiled. "We'll be absolutely fine, Riku. Just don't worry. Concentrate on keeping an eye on Yuri."

"Are you thinking she'll be in danger?"

"No, but keeping a close watch on her wouldn't hurt, either."

Riku ruffled her hair. "Take care."

"Sleep well," she said as he slipped back out onto the landing. Smiling to herself, Naminé sat back down on the ground, exactly as she had been when Riku turned up, and went back to meditating.

* * *

The next morning, Sora awoke much earlier than he had anticipated. He remembered fondly the days when Riku and Roxas had to forcibly drag him from his bed each morning—he was always the last to wake, no matter what. Being awake even before Naminé, the resident early bird, was a bit unnerving. They had all agreed that leaving before dawn was the best plan, but the dark shade of night was still completely covering everything in Hollow Bastion. Sora quickly rolled out of bed and decided it would be best to wake the others. How hard would Roxas laugh when he saw that the mysterious face hovering over him, bidding him to get out of bed, was Sora? 

He first headed next door to Naminé's room, but found her wide awake.

"Sora!" she gasped upon seeing his spiky, messy hair as he poked his head into her room. "You're awake! It's before noon, did you know?"

"Har har," he said, giving her a sarcastic glare. "We should leave soon, I think."

"You're right. Go grab Kairi, and I'll wake Roxas up."

"You would pick Roxas," Sora muttered. "Kairi's almost as bad as me."

"I know!" Naminé giggled, hopping out of bed. "C'mon, Sora, let's get moving!"

"I hate morning people," he yawned, Naminé hurrying past him and toward Roxas' room.

"And I hate people who refuse to face a new day," Naminé shot back, pushing open the door to Roxas' room and disappearing from sight.

Sora hesitated at Kairi's door, unsure about whether to enter or not. Girls were sometimes weirdly private about their rooms, and he had absolutely no desire to get Kairi angry at him before their journey had even begun. Sighing inwardly, he pushed open the door, and his eyes immediately fell upon Kairi's sleeping form.

She was spread out on her bed, one of her legs dangling off comically, with her mouth wide open and her hair sticking up as though someone had rubbed a balloon against her head. Sniggering, Sora tiptoed across her room, and poked at Kairi's arm.

"Time to get up…" he said, stifling laughter as she emitted a loud snort.

Kairi woke up much more quickly than he had expected her to. "What exactly are you laughing at, Sora?" she demanded, albeit a bit drowsily.

"Nothing," he lied, immediately cracking up.

"If you're laughing at my hair, you better leave before I get you with some magic," she snapped warningly.

"Fine, fine," Sora sighed, still smiling widely. "Be ready to leave in 10 minutes."

When he left Kairi's room, he found Naminé waiting in the landing. Her hair, which seemed to have magically grown much longer overnight, was tied back into a messy, wavy ponytail. She was sporting a loose, knee-length black skirt, a simple tan colored tank top, and the flat tan colored sandals that everyone seemed to wear in Hollow Bastion. With straps and laces of strong leather, if they were tied around the ankles correctly, they would almost never loosen or fall off.

"A _skirt_, and sandals?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow.

"I tried to find some boots or something, but these were all I seemed to have," she grumbled. "As for the skirt, use your brain. You think I don't have something on underneath?"

"Hmm, good point," he said thoughtfully. "I hope I have something better!"

He hurried into his room, and chose from what he hadn't packed, which was all still hanging perfectly in his closet. He missed the type of clothes he could wear on Earth. Everything here seemed so… cottony. A pair of loose brown pants caught his eye, and a regular black t-shirt seemed the way to go. Thankfully, he found a pair of black suede-ish boots—he mentally noted to tease Naminé later. Grabbing at his pack, which was sitting next to the door, he took one last look at his room and shut the door behind him.

Roxas and Naminé were both ready to leave, waiting together on the landing. Kairi, it seemed, was the only one who wasn't yet ready. Roxas had made clothing choices similar to Sora's, and Naminé was already upset about the fact that they had boots and she did not.

Kairi had fared no better than Naminé—a pair of blue shorts and a white top were what she had chosen, and her only option had been the sandals, as well.

"Well, if we see any locals selling better shoes around, we can always buy some," Kairi reasoned aloud for Naminé's benefit.

"I suppose," Naminé admitted. "Let's get going, Yuri is waiting for us by the secret passageway. Who wants to carry the food pack?" She held up a small, black bag.

Roxas quickly took it and shoved it in his pack on top of his things. "To the library! Yuri and Riku are waiting!"

"How do you know Riku will be there?" Sora asked in a hushed voice as they began down the stairs.

"How could you not know that he'll stick to Yuri's side the entire time we're gone?" Roxas asked, grinning.

* * *

Riku watched in awe as Yuri magicked the door to the secret passageway opened. "What an odd place… in the middle of the library," she was mumbling. 

"It's a good place," Riku said reasonably. "Suppose you're here doing some research about a certain country you're at war with, and they decide to storm the castle?"

"You're right," Yuri murmured, watching the door slowly slide open. "Are they on their way, I wonder?"

"Probably. It's not like Naminé to be late."

"I do hope she's fully recovered," Yuri fretted.

"She's absolutely fine," Riku assured her. "I promise you, they'll all be fine."

Just then, all four of his companions trouped into the library, each carrying small packs on their backs and looking anxious.

"Try to get out of the passage before sunrise," Yuri said, quickly lighting two lanterns and handing one to Roxas and one to Sora. "Do not speak, unless you're absolutely certain that nobody else will overhear. Never allow everyone to sleep at once—"

"Relax," Sora suggested, giving Yuri a quick hug. "We'll be fine. We'll stay hidden, and follow all of your instructions. Expect us back within a week."

She clamped on to Riku's arm as their comrades each silently waved goodbye, Naminé giving Riku a quick high-five as she passed. Sora led them down into the dark, holding the lantern high above his head. Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas all followed, single file, down the narrow stairs into the passageway.

* * *

"They're gone," Yuri choked nearly ten minutes later. She had sealed the passageway behind them, and headed to the throne room to await the arrival of her maybe-future husband. 

"I can't believe he's coming this early," Riku said, the edge of disdain in his voice almost tangible.

"He began on his way here as soon as he received word from me yesterday—"

"Still," Riku sighed. "It doesn't hardly give you any time to think about it. What if you hate him?"

She smiled weakly. "I think I have to do it anyway."

Aerith poked her head into the room. "Yuri? Are you ready?"

Nervously, Yuri straightened out her clothes and said, "Yes, I think so."

"Is Riku staying with you, or…?"

"Yes, he's my bodyguard," Yuri explained. "He'll stay with me while everyone is gone."

"Okay," Aerith nodded. "We'll send him in." She quickly disappeared, and the door quietly shut. A moment later, both enormous doors were slowly being opened by the doormen, and Riku crossed his arms across his chest in an attempt to look more threatening. The prince came into the hall, and immediately began down the long blue carpet towards where Yuri was seated, his entourage trailing shortly behind him.

The minute Riku saw his face, he knew that Yuri would like him. His short, blue hair and relatively good build were both something she would find attractive, he feared.

"Your majesty," he said, bowing low.

Yuri stood up, looking flustered. She made her way down the small flight of stairs in order to look the prince properly in the face. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, curtsying.

"I am prince Zexion," he introduced himself, offering her a small smile.

"Well, sir, shall we have a quick stroll in the garden and discuss some of the matters at hand?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"It would be my pleasure," he said, smile widening. Yuri took his outstretched arm, and he led her out of the hall, Riku at their heels.

* * *

You should all know, I was very tempted to use Axel... you'll find out later why I didn't, I suppose. XD Zexion just seemed like he fit this part really well. 

Chapter 14 will be up VERY soon, I promise! Please keep reading and reviewing :D

Thank you,

Lulala


	14. Think of Nothing but Her

And, again, it has been a month. XD I'm very deeply sorry. The last month of summer was a busy one. I turned 18, for one. Hurray, I'm so old. Haha, not really. Also, I encourage anyone who hasn't gone out and picked up a copy of "Eclipse", by Stephenie Meyer, to do so. It was a good read. True, the writing could be better, but the plot makes up for what the book otherwise lacks. I got to meet her and had her sign my book, which was special. :D

Thank you, once again, for all the reviews. I will put clouds in jars for all of you! Imagine how cool that would look if it were possible. Haha, well, I'll make the impossible possible.

Anyway. Here we are. Does anybody even remember where I left off? XD

* * *

"I wonder what they're doing," Naminé mused, staying as close as possible behind Roxas without actually touching him. Quickly adjusting the leather of the holster that held her spear strapped to her back, she turned her head to survey Kairi's expression. 

Kairi, who was walking so close to Naminé that she almost ran into her at the slight change of movement, shrugged. "Riku is probably going insane, and Yuri is probably delighted. I hear this prince they're bringing in is pretty good-looking."

"Really?" Sora, who was trailing behind Kairi, asked. "Riku was so sure that he'd be… wow, never mind."

"You're horrible at keeping your mouth shut," Kairi giggled. "Remind me never to tell you secrets."

Sora's mouth dropped open, appalled, and shadows from the uneven distribution of light from the lantern he was carrying seemed to dance over his shocked face. "_Of course_ I can keep a secret! Who says I can't?"

"You do!" Naminé answered, fighting a smile.

"Guys, soften up on Sora," Roxas suggested, though he too wore a grin. "I think it's a little early to be antagonizing him."

"Thank you," Sora said, giving the back of Kairi's head a pointed stare. "At least someone here knows what he's talking about."

The noises of their footsteps echoed off the dusty brown walls of the tunnel in the otherwise thickly silent air. Naminé kept her gaze fixed on Roxas's head, which was consistently bobbing right in front of her face. His bag was easily the smallest of all four of theirs, and Naminé vaguely wondered what he had packed. _Probably just normal stuff,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Roxas walked quickly and nervously, hoping that Naminé wouldn't notice that the lantern was shaking in his unsteady grip. She was so close to it—he could imagine her eyes boring through his bag in an x-ray vision fashion, and seeing what he had so foolishly thrown in on a final momentary whim. 

Resting inside his bag, compressed against all of his clothes, was her diary. He knew that it had to be returned to its rightful owner, but at the same time, never wanted to let go of the one piece of Naminé that he had to himself. He knew that there was no way she would ever feel the same way as he did, and was more unwilling to relinquish the ray of hope that was the diary. How he longed to return to the days when he hadn't known who the perfect girl was, or whether he would ever be with her or not… returning to the days when he still thought he had a snowball's chance with the mystery girl seemed more appealing than ever.

Her face swimming in front of his eyes, even though she was walking behind him, he continued on, awkwardly tugging the strap of his bag to a more comfortable position. He knew that they were now far enough from the castle that it was best not to talk—they would be reaching the end of the passageway quite soon, and if they were lucky, it was still before dawn…

"No talking after we're out of the tunnel," Naminé softly reminded them as the darkness around them seemed to get softer and brighter with every step they took.

"Minimal communication," Sora agreed. "I wonder how Kairi will manage?"

Turning slightly, she responded with a scathing glare, but didn't speak. Embarrassed, Sora tried to offer a hushed apology for taking a revenge joke too far, but Kairi simply chose to follow Naminé's instructions and begin what would no doubt be an extremely lengthy silence. At the end of the tunnel, Naminé grabbed at Roxas' pack, and motioned for everyone to huddle up. They all crunched as closely together as they could in the narrow passageway, and in a voice so low they could barely hear, Naminé said, "After I put up undetectable wards when we camp at night, we can talk again. We can't risk being discovered. If any Adherence members find us, it'll mean an immediate fight, and we can't fight them while they are immortal. I will notify you all when the wards are up—whenever I speak, it's okay to speak. Use magic and instincts to send warnings."

"Magic and instincts… is that why I always seem to know where all of you are, no matter where I am?" Sora asked her quietly.

"Exactly. See if you can figure out how to harness that magic to talk to me. It's difficult, but if we can all manage that, things will be easier. Since that magic just exists in the bond between us, I highly doubt that the Adherence will be able to pick it up. We don't know whether they're scanning for foreign magic or not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry," Naminé swiftly explained, voice still lower. "Any questions before we go up?"

"Can we use magic if we fight?" Roxas whispered.

"We will avoid fights at all costs," Naminé replied. "We're in no position to challenge them right now."

"And if we do have to fight?" he pressed.

Naminé looked slightly conflicted. "We'll do what we can to dispose of them as quickly as possible, ideally without magic, and be on our way."

Roxas gave a quick nod. "Let's get up there, then."

Naminé gave her companions one last fleeting look. "We all ready?"

Sora and Kairi each gave their quick affirmative, and Roxas led the way to the surface.

* * *

Riku sighed to himself as he followed behind Yuri and Zexion in the enormous gardens of the castle. Their endless conversations over the two hour period they had been walking for were getting simply exhausting. 

"I quite agree with you, this force your world has been troubled by must be taken care of," he said, nodding. "I will gladly summon my armies here to help you."

"Really?" Yuri asked, face lighting up. "I was certainly hoping for that! It'll be very difficult, despite the return of my world's legendary warriors, to rid ourselves of this nasty problem."

"It seems that your world has seen enough destruction," he said, giving her a quick, surveying glance. Simply delighted when he saw that she was happy, he added, "We'll definitely bring as much aid as we can."

"I would be more grateful than I could ever possibly describe to you… if I could end the suffering of my people."

"Though, it will be quite expensive to transport my whole army here, so, naturally, I ask for one small favor in return," Zexion said smoothly.

"I would gladly do anything you wished," Yuri said, bowing her head in gratitude.

"Not at all! My advisors, however, did tell me that they require me to request that you name me King after we are married."

Riku immediately flinched, sickened. His hands clenched into fists, and he couldn't help gritting his teeth. He knew this would happen—Zexion would turn up, worm his way into Yuri's good graces, and then take advantage of her power. Zexion would never be King of his world—he had two older brothers—but if he could get Yuri to name him King… problem solved.

He could tell that, despite the huge service Zexion would be doing her by helping her, she was still hesitant to make such a mammoth-sized promise. "I'll have to take that up with my advisors as well," she confessed, blushing. "They do still hold quite a bit of power over me, since I am so young still."

"I understand perfectly. Do mention it to them for me, though," he suggested warmly. "I would like nothing more than you help you govern this great world."

"Govern?" Yuri giggled. "I've never really thought of it that way before. I'm just the Queen, after all. Other people have a say, too."

Zexion, who had seemed quite stony-faced and emotionless, suddenly smiled. "Of course they do." He cast a quick, almost unnoticeable glance over his shoulder at Riku, who was wandering along the path several feet behind them. "Who did you say that was, again?"

"Him? That's Riku, my best friend, trusted advisor, and sometimes bodyguard," she said, smiling a little. "You'll really like him once you get to know him, his sense of humor is great."

"Bodyguard? I wonder, is he one of the famed warriors you have spoken of?" Zexion asked.

"Actually, he is, yes," Yuri said, nodding.

"Might I meet the other four today?"

Riku and Yuri froze simultaneously. "Um… I'm afraid that's not possible. They're all very busy, you see… yes, they aren't seeing anybody today," she quickly fabricated. Riku breathed an almost audible sigh of relief. At least she had the sense not to tell him what they were up to.

"Pity," Zexion said quietly, watching Yuri carefully as though he expected her to reconsider.

Riku's brow furrowed. Something about Zexion was off—who showed up here and immediately requested to be named King? Yuri was all that Hollow Bastion needed, and she knew it. Her parents had left the throne to her, and her alone. All of the advisors had been fools to think this wouldn't happen. Against his better judgment, he decided to have a quick listen to what Yuri was thinking. He had repeatedly assaulted Zexion's mind, but had received nothing back but thoughts of Yuri, which was both annoying and unbearable to hear. Looking far off into the distance, Riku dug at his internal magic and concentrated on Yuri…

_That was a close call! I really hope he isn't asking about them all the time, because I really don't know when they will be back… I can't make him King, and I know I can't… what should I tell him? Riku would never forgive me if I bent to his wishes… He probably hates me already, anyway, just for talking to Zexion. It's so unfortunate that this really is the best option. He's not horrible at all, but… I just wish there were something else I could do._

Riku pulled his magic from her mind; he had heard enough.

* * *

After Zexion and Yuri's return from their hours-long stroll, the castle went into frenzy as wedding plans commenced. Riku hung at Yuri's side through the entire celebratory banquet, and now sat inside one of her many chambers, engrossed in a book focused on the monarchy of Hollow Bastion. 

"Why are you reading that?" Yuri probed from across the room, where she had immersed herself in a complicated book of law. "I read that when I was younger."

"Sad. You can tell what it is just by seeing the cover," Riku said, half-teasing.

Yuri scowled. "Shut up! I hated reading that book." The fire popping loudly in the fireplace beside her seemed to match her temper.

Riku gave her a look. "Settle down."

Though she sat far away, she stared straight at him, her eyes boring into his. His stomach flipped uncomfortably, and she didn't even have to tell him not to say another word. Her gaze broke, and Riku was freed, much to his relief. Both turned their attention back to their books.

_A. Notes on Monarchy and Marriage_

_Traditionally, Hollow Bastion royalty has avoided marrying other persons of royal standing, as linking worlds together under one power can be quite challenging. Situations of whether the spouse shall be crowned or not still arise, however, no matter who the King or Queen decides to marry. Oftentimes, Kings who have already proceeded through their coronation will marry and decide to give their wife the title of Queen, although it is not a law that any woman married to the King must be crowned as the Queen. It is, in essence, and always has been, the King's own decision to make. _

_Historically, if a lady has been crowned Queen and is unmarried, she is neither required to name any man she marries as the King. Absolute monarchy such as Hollow Bastion's is just that: absolute. The Queen or King makes all decisions, including whether the person they marry rules Hollow Bastion at their side or not. Queens and Kings that are untrusting and not willing to allow their spouses to rule alongside them will often bestow their partner with another noble title, such as duke or duchess._

Riku looked up involuntarily at Yuri. She was losing herself in the staccato movements of the flames. He could see her concentration slipping slowly from her eyes as she began to flat-out stare.

"You all right?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded once. "Just trying to work out why you would be studying our monarchy."

Riku gave a soft chuckle. "Well, I thought it might be best to read up on it. I'm no use if I'm uninformed." He shot a cheeky grin in Yuri's direction.

At last, her face softened. "I suppose you're right." She closed her book, and placed it on the small wooden table beside her. "Which section are you reading?"

Riku knew he'd get it for this. Bracing himself, he calmly answered, "Notes on Monarchy and Marriage."

She was standing almost immediately. In the blink of an eye, she had ripped the book from Riku's hands. "You would," she said acidly, snapping it shut. "I don't know what you want me to say, okay? I promised him I would do it!" Her eyes were focused once again on Riku's, intensity stirring behind the angelic color.

Riku lowered his head under the power of her stare, unable to withstand it. "I know," he said in a low voice, "but that doesn't mean I shouldn't look for another way."

She sighed, anger vanishing as quickly as it had come. "Yes, it does," she muttered dismally.

He suddenly looked back up, searching her expression. "You… really don't want to do this, do you?"

She turned away from Riku. Her back to him, she sniffed, "You really should get out of my head, you know."

Despite the fact that she was clearly upset, Riku couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Actually, I wasn't in your head." Luckily, she couldn't see how pleased he was with his observation skills.

"You weren't in mine? That's just fine, Riku, but you can't pull that for Zexion! I know you've been all over him today. Tell me, what did you see inside his pretty skull?" She turned around, and Riku was pained to see tears slowly leaking down her pale cheeks.

He stood up, and wiped her face with his hands. "I didn't see anything. He's protecting his thoughts from me, I think."

Sobs growing stronger, Yuri buried her face in Riku's chest, and he stroked her hair comfortingly. "What is he hiding, then?" she almost wailed.

Riku closed his eyes. "I really don't know. I swear to you, I'm going to do everything I can to find out."

* * *

Zexion glanced at the clock. It was nearing three o'clock—surely, the mind-reader was asleep by now? 

Reaching into one of his many bags, he produced a letter from its depths. He slid his fingers along the seal, nearly ripping the paper as the wax relinquished its hold. He read what was written by the hand of his boss as quickly as possible.

_Remember what we spoke of. Think of nothing but her when the suspected mind-reader is around. We have no proof, but it is better to take every precaution we can. Insist that you are crowned King. Do whatever you have to. Capture or eliminate the warriors that remain at the castle. Some will have ventured out to Akiko, as I have told you. The invasion waits for your command. _

* * *

Roxas sprung through the hole quickly, Naminé imitating his movements with grace. She immediately recognized where they were in the small cavern, and headed down the narrow left fork, leading southwest, toward the Great Maw, her three companions on her heels. They moved completely silently, and Naminé felt a great pang of worry—something wasn't right at the castle. With her heart set on reaching Akiko as quickly as possible, Naminé quickened her running pace, everyone increasing their speed to match. Evidently, they felt her worry, as well…

* * *

Hm. I hope people are surprised by Zexion. :D 

I'll try and work quicker this time, honest! Next chapter, we've got a journey and a wedding, so keep your eyes peeled for chapter 15 :D Don't forget to review!

Thanks for reading!

Lulala


	15. Nothing Between Us

I'm sorry. That's all I have to say, haha. XD Thank you to those who have been reading in my lengthy absence and adding this story to their favorites, as well as those who so graciously reviewed last chapter. THANK YOU.

Sorry for disappointing you all and taking so long. This chapter is roughly the size of a mammoth, though, so at least you know I wasn't doing nothing this whole time :D

* * *

At the pace Naminé had set, it took mere minutes to emerge from the cavern and into the sunlight of the ridge just above the Great Maw. There they stood, in a line, surveying the enormous plain stretched below them. Kairi cast a glance at Naminé. 

"Speak," Naminé commanded of her quietly.

"I'm sorry, it's just… my vision."

Naminé smirked. "You can do something different… like Riku. Right?"

Kairi's gaze fell to the ground, irises completely black.

"Okay. What?" Sora demanded, clueless.

"She can use magic to see great distances ahead of us," Naminé explained softly, casting a knowing glance at Roxas, who was equally as lost, though tried not to appear so.

"So… what do you see?" Roxas asked.

Kairi looked up, and surveyed the plain. A faint glow of red was visible along the edges of the charcoal black circles as she scanned the land. "A camp of twelve Adherence members lies just at the exit of the plain, and that is all," Kairi said, bowing her head and closing her eyes as they shifted back to normal.

"Is that why you chose a bow?" Sora asked, watching her every movement with evident curiosity.

Naminé smiled as Kairi sighed. "She's a real sharp shooter," she joked. "Okay, okay, no more talking! We know none of them are around, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful."

Sora opened his mouth to object, and almost immediately closed it. She was right, and he knew it.

Naminé jerked her head to the right, and led the way around the edge of the cliff. She let her senses take control, completely governing all of her thoughts and movements. Gracefully, she bounded through the tall, yellowed grass, making nearly no noise at all. Kairi followed, equally as light on her feet, carrying her bow in her right hand, muscles itching to reach back to her quiver of arrows. Roxas ran swiftly, though without any of the grace and control that the girls exhibited. He and Sora both let their muscles rule their movements instead of their balance and quickness, like the girls. They both avoided making noise with a great deal of effort.

In one quick and unexpected movement, Naminé leaped over the edge of the cliff, though it had lost considerable height as they had been running along the edge. Everyone followed suit, easily landing on their feet. They hung close to the cliff, each keeping a careful watch in case their weapons were needed. Caves jutted into the wall of rock to their right, and Kairi's eyes flickered in and out of her newly re-discovered far-reaching vision as she kept a close watch on the Adherence near the exit of the plain.

Their whole day was spent traveling as quickly as they could, and when night at last fell, Naminé led them into one of the many caves that were hidden in the brown, dusty rock. The entrance of the one she chose was so completely camouflaged that it left everyone wondering how she had seen it. She allowed everyone into the cave before herself, and cast all the protective spells she knew on the doorway.

"Whew," she panted, lighting a fire in the center of the rounded space with a snap of her fingers. "Thank goodness for smoke-free magic fire. It's freezing in here!"

Sora and Roxas, who were both dripping with sweat, simultaneously began to argue.

"You're cold?"

"How can you say that?"

Naminé and Kairi both laughed. "Use your muscles less and your brain more, maybe," Kairi playfully suggested.

Sora pursed his lips. "Are you suggesting that we're not…"

"Smart?" Roxas filled in for him, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Naminé and Kairi's eyes met, and both burst out laughing. "Not at all!" Kairi managed to reply, though it wasn't the least bit reassuring.

Roxas and Sora both scoffed huffily, glaring at each girl intensely. Naminé and Kairi, much to their annoyance, were still giggling. Unfortunately, their light-heartedness didn't last much longer. After that, everyone was left staring silently into the fire, eyes blank with visions of home.

"I hope everything's okay at home," Roxas sighed. "I wish another of us had stayed behind to help guard Yuri…"

"Riku is more than enough," Naminé half-smiled. "The Adherence won't choose now to strike, I think. They'll find a more sneaky way."

"Maybe," Sora said doubtfully, poking at the fire with a long, thin twig. "It's not like they have much to lose in a fight, though, is it? They can't be killed."

"They have cleared out the plains," Kairi reminded Naminé. "Aerith and Leon thought this whole area would be one big Adherence camp, but there's not even evidence of campsites around here at all. I wonder what that's about…"

The fire crackled. "Hana will contact Riku before the Adherence moves," Naminé said confidently.

Sora dropped his stick. "How do you know?"

"She loved him," Naminé answered simply. "She won't abandon him so easily."

* * *

Riku and Yuri had stayed up discussing what should be done about Zexion. With the wedding the next day, Yuri wanted to be sure that what he was hiding from her wasn't serious. Riku's attitude was constantly grim, as he obviously expected, or maybe hoped for, the worst. They had sat, shoulders touching, on the sofa in Yuri's chamber for the better part of the night, speaking in hushed tones. 

"What do you really think he's doing?" Yuri asked, head rested on Riku's shoulder as she almost began to doze off.

He ruffled her hair. "Wake up. And I don't know."

Huffily she jerked her head upright and pouted, "But you know everything!"

He half-smiled. "I know, which is why we need to get this figured out. I can't let you down, after all."

"Fine, fine," she sighed, rubbing her eyes drowsily. Smoothing her hair quickly, she asked, "Would his world have anything against ours?"

Riku shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Not sure. You're the history expert around here; they made you take loads of classes when you were younger. You tell me."

She bit her lip. "Maybe we ought to ask Leon or Aerith… I don't remember much about that."

"No," Riku immediately rejected her idea. "This could just be nothing. We don't need to be dragging everyone into it. Besides, the more people that know about it, the more likely it is to get back to him," he pointed out.

She gave him a hard, resentful glare. "Of course, you're right again. I really wish you were stupid sometimes."

"You like my brains, you know you do," Riku teased. "Anyways. Maybe we could sneak down to the library and have a look at some history books. If there's an ancient grudge between the two of you, he's banking that you won't know about it, and that your advisors will have forgotten."

"Now would be a convenient time to utilize one of my many secret passageways, I suppose," she relented in agreement. "We'll take the west passage behind the bookcase in my bedroom—it'll lead us right down there."

With difficulty, she pulled herself up off the couch and out of the haze of sleepiness that had descended over her, and helped Riku up. He followed her dutifully through her several apartments and into her bedroom, amazed by how simple and clean it was. Like the rest of the castle, the floor was marble, but Yuri had covered nearly all of it with beautiful, artistic rugs. The dark blue hangings on her enormous four-poster bed harmonized with the reds and indigos of the rugs, and mahogany wooden furniture was scattered around the rest of the room. A large, squishy red chair could be found directly next to the bookshelf; a small reading table placed beside it for Yuri's convenience.

She stomped roughly on a particular place on the ground in front of the bookshelf, and it creaked open. "You use the rugs to hide the switch, as well as decorate the room," Riku commented, ducking into the musty stone passageway after her. "Nice."

"I love those rugs!" she gushed, shoving cobwebs out of the way without so much as a cringe. "They're so beautiful, and they serve their purpose well."

Thankfully, the passageway was short. It, unlike the rest of the castle, hadn't been cleaned or maintained at all in their absence, and breathing normally would be like sticking your face in a feather duster and trying to inhale. He took shallow and infrequent breaths, his lungs angrily protesting with sharp burning.

As they reached the end, Riku saw a wooden wall blocking the exit, and immediately thought it was a dead end. Yuri continued forward, and gently pushed against the wall—much to Riku's surprise, it was another hinged bookcase, and opened directly into the heart of the enormous library.

"This place is just full of secrets," she commented, grinning. "C'mon, Riku, get out here and you can breathe again."

Realizing how stupid he must look, standing there awestruck, Riku hurried from the passage, deeply breathing the fresh, dust-free air. As far as libraries went, the one in the castle was the cleanest Riku had ever seen. Dust particles that normally clung all over the books and the bookshelves in ordinary libraries were completely absent from that one.

"I suppose we should check the history section," Yuri mused aloud, running her fingers through her hair to clear it of cobwebs. "If only I could remember where that is."

Riku chuckled. "I definitely don't blame you if you can't. They need to put directories around in here, this place is huge!"

"Maybe I can wake one of the librarians and ask them," Yuri suggested. "Ask them which books to look in, I mean. If we just blindly search, it could take a very, very long time." She whirled around to face Riku, bright eyed. "Well, what do you think?"

He bit his lip. "I really don't like the idea of involving others, but… I also hate the idea of weeding through massive volumes of extremely dry reading."

"We'll call Kyo, then," she half-smiled. "I agree with you."

"Careful," Riku said warily. "Don't want to wake Zexion."

* * *

Roxas poked at the fire, and stared as though dazed into the orange depths, the heat making his face feel sunburned. Sora mimicked his blank look, while Naminé and Kairi gazed back and forth between the two, keeping tabs on who would be first to actually blink since stumbling into their drowsy stupor. 

"I wish we could go home," Roxas mused into the silence.

Naminé's gaze fell to the fire, hot coals on the bottom blinking bright orange. "Which home, Roxas?"

He closed his eyes, and smiled bitterly. "Oh, right. We've got two now. I meant the castle, I guess."

Sora tossed a twig into the flames. "I almost miss Earth. Sure, magic is cool, but being normal was great."

"Completely agree," Roxas said wearily, rubbing his eyes. "I'm beat."

Simultaneously, Naminé's internal magic flared, her muscles tensed up, and her senses heightened. "Damn," she murmured, suddenly standing.

"What—" Kairi began.

"Stay put," Naminé instructed in a low voice. "All of you, stay here unless I call for you."

Roxas jumped up from his seat. "I'm coming, there's no way you're going anywhere alone."

She glared at him a moment before finally softening. "Fine, but let's move! Be back in a few minutes." And they were gone.

The cool outside air whipped her hair into her face, and sent chills creeping down her spine. Roxas hovered close behind her as they snuck through the blackness of night. Stars twinkled dully in the sky, being mostly covered by a thick layer of fluffy, deep gray colored clouds. Naminé crept soundlessly through the grass along the ledge, approaching another small inlet further up in the rock. He followed Naminé to the small entrance, nothing visible inside it. Somehow, at the same time, the air didn't feel empty, and he could feel a strong magical presence throwing Naminé out of sync.

"Why did you come?" Naminé spoke firmly into the dark. "What use am I to you?"

Suddenly, movement inside the inlet was visible, and a mop of blonde hair appeared from seemingly nowhere. "I had a couple of questions for you."

The voice sounded so familiar, but all the information that was still raw and fresh in Roxas' mind couldn't match it with a face. Irked, he placed his hand on Naminé's shoulder, just to make sure she stayed close. Wind twisted cruelly past, another icy slap against their skin.

He could feel Naminé's discomfort. "I'm not the person you need to be talking to."

"Where's Riku?" the woman demanded, though there was sadness in her voice that made Roxas uneasy.

Naminé shrugged. "You know, I thought you'd been tailing him or something."

"I'm just making sure he's not with you," she snapped. "We really need to…"

"Chat," Naminé finished for her. "Yeah, but I'm not sure he'll want to speak to you."

Finally, Roxas' mind clicked. "Hana," he said aloud.

"I should have known you wouldn't come alone, though," Hana said, still sounding a bit miserable.

"What do you think I can do for you? Get you back into his good graces?" Naminé asked, scoffing a little at that. "You'll have to do that on your own, I'm afraid."

Roxas could see Hana's head was bowed. "I just… I have to tell him…"

"Told you, Roxas," Naminé giggled. "I knew you'd tell him before your group made any moves."

"You're like him, you know everything, so it's not a surprise," she muttered. "We're not making a move per se, but…"

Naminé cut her off. "Your hundreds and hundreds of fighters that were rumored to be here have vanished. Why?"

"They were needed somewhere else," Hana said evasively. "You're positive Riku isn't with you?"

"You sensed both Roxas and I, don't you think you'd know if someone powerful as him was around?"

"Just making sure. So he's at the castle, then?"

"You answer my question, I'll answer yours."

Roxas squeezed her shoulder. "Watch it!" he whispered. "We don't want a fight."

"She doesn't, either," Naminé reminded him, barely audible.

"I already told you, they were needed in another place!" Hana insisted fiercely.

"Now, tell me, what could be more important than keep us from our weapons?"

"Forget it," Hana said snappishly, disappearing.

Naminé turned and headed back to the cave, not making the effort to shrug Roxas' hand away. He threw his arm over her shoulders. "Well, that was useless," he joked. "Glad it wasn't an ambush. Why do you think she came?"

"Truthfully?" Naminé asked. "She really wanted to believe we were hiding Riku from her, I think. Riku wouldn't hide from her, he just probably doesn't want to talk to her."

"Did something… happen?" Roxas asked carefully, reaching over and taming Naminé's hair, which had again been violently tousled by the wind.

"Well, you know the old story," she sighed. "But since Riku has learned how to use his mind-reading again, I think he avoids her because he really doesn't want to know what she's thinking, or see how he's treated her in the past."

Roxas looked uncertain. "How did he treat her, exactly?" He was thankful for the darkness; his face probably looked silly as he tried to recollect past memories of Riku.

He could hear Naminé hesitating. "I don't think it was anything huge. Just miscommunication. He still feels guilty, though, because he's Riku, and that's the way he is. You know him."

Roxas nodded. "I hope they're okay."

"He'll get us a message, somehow, if something goes wrong," Naminé said, leading the way back into the cave. Somehow, their precious minutes of alone time had been wasted talking about Riku. Roxas mentally sighed. He really needed to get around to telling her about the diary.

His mental sigh, turns out, was audible. "What's up, Roxas?" Naminé stopped and turned around to face him. The distant glimmer of light from the fire illuminated her pale skin in the dark; her face was almost visible.

"What? Was that out loud?" he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I guess I've wanted to talk to you all day."

Her expression was still obscured by the night. "Really?" she sounded like she might be smiling. "Why?"

"Just miss talking to you is all," he ruffled her hair. "I need to tell you something kind of important."

"Okay, shoot," she said, trying to swallow a sudden wave of worry.

Roxas took a deep breath, and produced the diary from his pocket. "I found this, back on Earth," he said quietly, handing it to her.

At first, she seemed elated to have it back. "You found it? That's awesome! But why didn't you—"

"I'm sorry," Roxas immediately said. "I'm sorry, I should have given it back…"

"You read it," she muttered accusingly.

"I had to… it started to find out who it belonged to… but I couldn't stop…" his confession left his face burning red. Again, the darkness was a blessing.

He imagined her eyes piercing through him with a blank stare. Naminé was rarely angry, but Roxas assumed he was about to bear a whole lot of strong feelings of resentment coming from one of his favorite people in the whole universe. "You didn't stop after you knew it was me, did you?"

He stared at the black, invisible ground. "No, I couldn't. Your writing and artwork just interested me, and I learned so much I never knew about you…"

"Most of that stuff was intended for people to never learn," she said, trying to mask her anger.

"I've been carrying it with me for a few hours now, it was in my pack but I knew that I had to tell you…"

"Don't expect my trust again," she snapped.

He clenched his eyes shut as though in pain. "I had a feeling you'd say that, but I had to do what was right."

Her laser glare sparked at Roxas despite the dark. "Oh yeah? Not reading it was the right thing to do, Roxas, and you completely disregarded that."

"But…" he couldn't explain how reading it had made him feel about her. He couldn't tell her that…

"Unless you have a seriously good explanation for all of this…" Naminé started.

"I don't have an excuse, if that's what you're asking," he sighed wearily. "I read it to see whose it was, and ended up really liking the girl that had written it. I wanted to find out who she was, because the two of us have a lot in common."

"You knew that," Naminé pointed out dismissively.

"Not until I read this," Roxas shook his head. "I didn't mean to learn about your secrets, but I really didn't know a lot about you. You were always quiet, and in the time you've started talking to me more and I started reading the diary, you've become on of my closest friends. I don't want to lose that…"

Her arms were suddenly around him. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I'm sorry I'm angry… but I need some time to think about this. We'll talk tomorrow." She moved swiftly back into the cave, Roxas following shortly behind her.

His piece of Naminé was gone, and the real Naminé had deserted him.

* * *

Kyo, a middle aged man that had taken the better part of his adult life to learn every nook and cranny of the castle library, was delighted to be stirred by the Queen in the middle of the night. He led Riku and Yuri up and down countless aisles of jam-packed shelves, excitedly jabbering about how both Riku and Yuri looked exactly the way he remembered them. 

"You've met Zexion, right, Kyo?" Yuri asked. "I mean, I hope he introduced himself around a bit on his tour today…"

Kyo nodded profusely. "I did meet him! He seems like quite a respectable fellow. I heard about where he's from, as well. Fascinating world, with a fascinating history," he rambled.

"That's actually why we're here," Riku said, sizing up the ancient shelves on either side of them. "We were wondering specifically about the history of our world and his, as well."

Kyo pondered for a moment. "Well, I don't believe we've had much prior interaction with them, other than that for a long while, the rulers of that world and this one were related, which helped avoid conflict. Zexion is, fortunately, simply a member of a wealthy family that took over when the family with blood ties to her Majesty's family died out several generations ago," he rattled off easily.

Yuri and Riku exchanged a defeated glance. "Nothing between us? Are you certain? There's no reason they would want revenge on us?"

Kyo made a sharp left, which neither Yuri nor Riku were expecting. "I'm positive," he affirmed. "No conflicts that I can remember. His world does hold grudges, though."

"Against who?" Riku immediately demanded. Yuri peered up at him curiously, and poked him in the arm to get his attention. He waved her off. "Who do they hold grudges against?"

Kyo sighed. "Earth. Those poor humans."

"Earth?" Yuri almost shouted, grabbing Riku's arm. "Earth!"

He half-smiled. "Well, at least this is starting to make sense."

Yuri clapped her hands over her eyes. "Ugh, what do you mean? It may make perfect sense to you, but remember, you're basically a genius compared to me."

"You're plenty smart," he pointed out. "What I meant was, we came from Earth. He's getting married to you because he thinks we'll help him destroy the Earth as repayment for helping us drive the Adherence off. At least, that would be my guess."

"But if we came from Earth, doesn't that mean he hates us, too?" Yuri asked, uncovering her eyes and looking up at Riku. "You look concerned…"

"I am," he said simply. "I don't know what he'll do to make us help him. He may even kill us."

"Oh no," Yuri moaned, grasping a bookshelf white-knuckled to brace herself.

* * *

Haha. Do you think Riku is right? What does Hana want to talk to him about? Keep reading, and guessing! I'm always delighted when people try to guess where this is going. It's about to get even more complicated, if you can believe that. Chapter 16 will be posted SOON! Review, everyone!

Thanks for reading!!!

Lulala


	16. Understanding, Or Lack Thereof

Happy New Year:D

Time for an extremely long and probably unnecessary A/N. XD

2008 comes with a few bits of news from me. Firstly, and most importantly, I have started an account on fictionpress! I wanted to get some original, non-fic work out there. My pen name is the same, and I am in SERIOUS need of some fans over there. The first story I'm posting is about a boy named Sora, whose name was not taken from KH Sora... but there's a longer explanation of how that came to be his name posted with the story. I have many, many, MANY other things I'm planning on posting over there, so be sure to go and give it a read!

This story has reached a huge milestone--51 favorites and 150 reviews. You have know idea how pleased I am, haha. My mind recently cooked up a few more wacky twists for this story, and starting now, I will be posting deadline dates for myself and for you on my profile--dates that I will FOR CERTAIN be updated by, because it's time to really get this one going. For example, the date currently posted on there is tomorrow, the 5th. How wonderful, I'm a day early. If you're wondering when I'll be updating, the date will always be there for you to check.

Thank you to my 6 reviewers last chapter. Remember to send one my way this chapter, I have cookies. :D Don't ask what kind; they're just delicious. So I guess that's what kind they are. Okay, now read. I apologize. XD

* * *

"I think we should keep moving," Naminé announced into the silence in the cave. Her strong command quietly echoed back at her.

Sora, who was sprawled on the ground, glanced up at her incredulously. "No way, you can't be serious!"

"The faster we get there, the faster we can go home," Naminé reasoned. "I feel like something is just not right back at the castle."

Kairi looked skeptical, as well. "You said Riku would contact us, if something went wrong…"

"But what if they don't know what it is yet?" Roxas immediately came to Naminé's defense. "What if they're in trouble, but they don't know it?"

She looked uncertain, but said nothing. Sora put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, having been suddenly convinced by Roxas and Naminé. "I'm tired, but… I don't want anything to happen to Riku, or to Yuri. Let's move," Sora said, standing and helping Kairi up.

Naminé took off without a look of thanks in Roxas' direction, running as fast as her feet would carry her. Try as she might, she could never escape the truth—Roxas knew everything that was written in her diary. Had he deduced all she had written about him, or was he still clueless? She stared blankly at the ground, watching for dips and rocks. At this pace, they would reach the Dark Depths before dawn… what a difference an empty plain made! If the Adherence had been there, the journey would have taken more than twice as long.

She turned to her right, where Kairi was making pace with her almost precisely, looking absolutely exhilarated as the cool air whipped her face—so much for not wanting to continue. She noticed Naminé's expectant glance, and her pupils expanded, turning her irises completely black. Moments later, they phased back to normal. She gave Naminé a thumbs up.

The Adherence guarding the exit were asleep. Disarming their magic would be too easy, and from the exit of the Great Maw, the Dark Depths were one more mile down the road. Naminé estimated that they were running around a five minute mile, if not less. Tension mounted as they drew closer and closer to the Adherence's camp, until it was within normal eyesight…

* * *

The night at the castle had been an eventful one. Decorations of white ribbons and lace could be found all over the place, and the gardens were set up to host the royal wedding. Several rows of white chairs were organized facing a small white podium that had been erected in front of an archway of red rose bushes. Though there wouldn't be many guests due to the violence in the land, the kitchen had been bustling all night erecting and enormous cake and preparing an extravagant feast.

"I just… I don't know what to do," Yuri said quietly to Riku as a maid pinned in her veil. "Should I marry him?"

"Your board of advisors already made that decision for you," Riku reminded her disdainfully. "I really don't know what we're going to do. We need a plan…"

Yuri stared off into space, ignoring the countless ladies pinning and prodding her, fluffing her many layers of lace until they looked just right. "His coronation, assuming he has one, won't be till tomorrow."

Riku bit his lip. "Right. And, what exactly was your plan for that?"

Yuri frowned, eyes still slipping away from reality. "You know, I'm not sure."

He touched the back of her hand gently. "Yuri?"

Her eyes came back into focus, and she slowly turned to look at him. Behind her brave face, Riku could see the fear trembling—he could hear it rattling her mind relentlessly, but tried to stay out of her thoughts for the moment out of politeness. Besides, he didn't even have to listen in on her brain to know each and every thing she was thinking. "I know you're afraid," he said quietly, catching her gaze with his. "Don't deny it—you are, and that's understandable. But I want you to know that no matter what happens today, I'll never stop watching you. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it."

"Don't talk like that," her voice quivered as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, golden eye makeup shimmering in the light. "At least, not now. I don't know how I can possibly thank you for everything you've done for me."

Riku smiled weakly. Her presence was thanks enough. "You look beautiful," he offered, touching her hand again. She opened her eyes, and the fear was gone.

"You're such an idiot, Riku," she teased, swatting away all the maids. "You've prodded enough already, right? I look fine!" They scattered.

Riku put his hands on his hips. "And why am I an idiot?" he asked, not managing to subdue a smile. "I think we both know that I'm more intelligent than you, even on your best day."

She laughed softly. "That all depends on the subject."

"Careful, I may just accidentally step on that mile-long train of yours!" Riku threatened jokingly.

She gasped theatrically. "You wouldn't!"

Riku gave her an intense, heart-stopping stare. "Oh, I would."

The sound of her laughter again was comforting to them both. "Yeah, Riku, you do, and I'll nail you with the best spell I can think of. So, if I were you, I wouldn't."

"Okay, okay," he relented, smiling. "Just so we're clear, you're the one who decided to marry a guy bent on destroying a planet that all of our families live on."

Yuri's mouth dropped open. "Hey, didn't we already blame my advisors for that?"

Riku stuck his tongue out at her, but didn't comment.

"You're so immature," she scoffed.

"Better that than married to a lunatic."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "So much for making me feel better. Let's get this show on the road!"

"I'll be watching," Riku called after her as she was led from the room by other members of the wedding party.

Yuri suddenly froze. "One minute," she told the woman at her side. She whirled around, and nearly dashed back towards Riku. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms completely around him, enveloping him in the biggest hug she ever had.

"Thank you," she breathed in his ear. "If you're wondering why I never asked you to give me away… it's because I don't want you to give me away at all."

"I _was_ wondering," he sighed, taking care not to touch her curled and styled hair. "Maybe now, I can force myself to sit through this without objecting."

"Oh, Riku, the priest isn't going to ask if anybody does," Yuri said sadly. When she released him, he realized that her eyes were once again brimming with tears.

"I…" her voice got caught in her throat.

"I know." With great effort, Riku managed to look encouraging, but couldn't coax a smile from his suddenly unruly mouth. "Go, or you'll be late."

She looked at him, pained. "I don't want to leave you here."

His gaze fell to the ground. "It's okay. I understand."

"No, I don't think you ever will…"

"Stop it. We'll talk about this later. Just try not to trip." The corners of his mouth twitched, despite how melancholy he was feeling.

"Oh, thanks, Riku," she said sarcastically, sniffling. She gave him another quick hug, and hurriedly left the room, the feel of her hand still burning against Riku's fingertips.

"This is terrible," he sighed inwardly. "How I will ever explain…"

* * *

"Almost finished," Naminé whispered so quietly it was nearly inaudible. She had disarmed almost all of the magical traps the Adherence had erected, and they were still stiff as boards in their tents, sleeping as though nothing was happening.

"How they could be this confident," Kairi chuckled quietly, watching them carefully to make sure they didn't wake up.

"Done," Naminé murmured. "Let's move."

She lead, as was custom, and the others followed quickly in her wake.

Several minutes down the road past the Adherence's camp, something suddenly pinged in Roxas' brain—before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed Naminé and covered her mouth, just as she simultaneously shrieked. "Trap," he muttered to her, her eyes wide in sudden comprehension. Sora and Kairi came to a halt, and bent over where Roxas had Naminé cradled in his arms on the ground.

"Don't scream," Roxas insisted seriously. "Calm down."

She began to breathe deeply, the effects of tripping the magical trap wearing off. "I'm going to uncover your mouth, but you have to promise you won't scream," Roxas said quietly. "Can you do that?"

She nodded confidently. He lifted his hand, and immediately, she said, "Thank you!"

He smiled a little. "Even if you hate me, I'll still save you, you know."

"If I had made noise, do you know how much worse things would be right now?"

"I have an idea," he said, nodding. "Anyway, I don't think this is an Adherence trap."

"You're absolutely right," Naminé agreed, hoisting herself back into an upright position. "That was Akiko's trap. She knows we're coming. I can't believe I overlooked it."

"We were moving so fast, and you weren't expecting…" Roxas reminded her.

"True," she almost smiled, which made Roxas feel elated. "And I don't hate you. But we'll talk about that later."

"And I mentioned how sorry I was?"

"You did," she nodded once. "Let's go, she's not going to think that we set off that trap, because normally, we wouldn't be so stupid…"

As they took off down the path, the temperature began to drop, and dusty white snowflakes began to slowly float down upon them. Seconds later, it became a deluge—snow began pelting them so roughly that it was almost impossible to see past the swirling wall of white. The wind picked up to a violent speed, and Naminé found herself being completely thrown around by it, unable to control her movements.

Roxas was struck immediately with an idea. He reached out and linked his arms with Naminé's and Kairi's. Sora popped up and grabbed Kairi's other arm, and with barely a pause, the human chain made their way up the mountain path.

* * *

Riku had chosen his favorite spot overlooking the gardens as his perch to observe the disastrous wedding. It would be lucky if Yuri could keep her emotions hidden throughout the ceremony—she seemed extremely prone to random bursts of tears recently, though for good reason. He glared heatedly at Zexion, who waited by the small altar for Yuri to emerge.

"Riku!"

He whirled around, offended that someone had dared follow him here. It seemed everyone knew that he waned to be alone, especially right now, today—

"Hana," he growled. "What the hell…?"

"How I got in isn't important," she immediately dismissed the question she knew he would ask first. "And I'm here because we need to talk."

"And you chose right now?" Riku cocked an enraged eyebrow as acid leaked into his tone. "What were you thinking? You know better than anyone else how I feel right now, today. Or, at least, you think you do."

She rolled her eyes. "When else are you going to be alone?"

He inhaled deeply. "Good point." His face relaxed. "Make sure you duck down below this wall, I don't want Yuri to know I spoke to you."

_Of course, protect her_, Riku heard in her thoughts. _Protect her, like always_.

"That's quite enough," he muttered roughly, blocking out her thoughts as best he could. Her mind was the last thing in the universe he wanted to hear.

She ignored his comment. "I went looking for you last night," she began casually, as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. She sat down, back against the wall that Riku sat on. He watched Yuri slowly making her way down the aisle, and imagined her annoyed with the train, wishing for Riku to come and rip it off…

"But clearly, you didn't find me," Riku pointed out shortly. "Use your brain, do you really think I would have left her here to go and look for weapons?"

Hana shrugged. "I guess I wasn't thinking. Then again, I never thought you'd leave me here on my own, either."

Riku sighed loudly. "If that's what you came here to talk about, you might as well leave. That's ancient history." Yuri had reached the altar, and the booming voice of the pompous priest was echoing over the small amount of castle dwellers and advisors present.

"Actually, I came here to warn you, but if you're going to take that tone with me, then you're right. I might as well just leave."

"Warn me about…?" Riku said expectantly, watching Yuri frozen next to Zexion, looking more uncomfortable than ever.

"Zexion. Korin. You know, general threats."

Riku's eyebrows shot up at the sound of both names. "How does the Adherence know anything about Zexion? He's got his own agenda."

Chuckling quietly, Hana shook her head. "No, Riku, he doesn't. Well, not exactly."

"Explain," he demanded stiffly, aching as the priest put Zexion's hand on top of Yuri's… the same hand he had touched to bring her back to reality not twenty minutes before…

"Zexion wants to destroy the Earth, which I'm sure you've deduced by now, being the extremely intelligent and reasonable person that you are."

"Exactly, he has his own agenda," Riku insisted, cold stare fixated on the back of Zexion's head.

"If you'd stop paying attention to that for one second," Hana complained, "seriously. I'm about to tell you something I'll probably be tortured for divulging. The least you could do is give me your undivided attention."

With difficulty, Riku tore his eyes from Yuri. "What?"

"We have agreed to use our power to destroy the Earth if Zexion helps us get rid of you and the Queen," she said softly.

* * *

"It's so freezing!" Kairi shivered, attempting to look at her red, frozen feet. "I really wish we had boots, Naminé!"

"I know," Naminé agreed dismally. "My feet are freezing, too!"

"Can't we magic the snow away?" Sora shouted over the wind, which had suddenly picked up again.

"It's Akiko's magic. I doubt even I could do much good," she shouted back, slipping as she lost her foothold. Roxas steadied her easily, helping her back onto her feet.

"Maybe you should try anyway!" Sora loudly suggested, using his free hand to wring out his soaking hair. "No matter what, we're not going to last much longer out here, Naminé. It's freezing, and our clothes are wet. We'll get hypothermia if we don't move faster or do something."

She sighed worriedly. Certainly, combating Akiko's magic was possible, but she'd need to draw from Hollow Bastion, and last time that had happened, she overdid it, and ended up in the hospital wing in the castle. "I'll try!" she suddenly agreed, closing her eyes momentarily.

Right now was no time to be scared. They were freezing, and something had to be done.

As she tapped in to Hollow Bastion's magic, she could feel Akiko there, manipulating the magic to create the storm. Her eyes snapped open, glowing bright red. She was mainly dragged through the storm with the rest of the group by Roxas—her concentration was far too great for her to move herself. Red light started to flicker at her fingertips, lingering there, waiting for her to make a move. Sora, who was leading the group, began to stumble on the hidden ice beneath them, pulling everyone else down with him. Naminé didn't so much as blink.

Suddenly, she jerked her arm out of Roxas', and raised both arms high into the air, where the red light began to intensify and grow. She snapped her arms forward, releasing the light like a gigantic cannon ball into the storm. Ribbons of the light emerged, and she controlled them like a puppeteer, maneuvering and twisting them, fighting Akiko's magic with her own.

After several minutes, explosions rang out in the sky, red and white sparks sprinkling down upon them. Sora waved his arm, and a clear, bubble-like shield covered the four of them. Little holes in the snow were evidence of where the sparks had fallen and the fire had melted down to the actual ground.

Naminé's eyes faded back to normal. "She knows we're here," Naminé announced proudly. "Thanks to me, anyway."

"You…?" Sora's voice trailed off expectantly. "You beat her?"

"No, Sora," she giggled. "Not quite. I simply let her know, as loudly as I could, that it's us."

"Magically," Roxas hinted, just in case Sora was still lost.

He scowled. "Yeah, thanks, got it, Rox."

"Come on, guys," Kairi called—she and Naminé had already started down the path. "We've got just another mile or so, let's get moving!"

* * *

Ha...ha... how much do you hate me for the Riku/Hana cliffhanger? Just remember, COOKIES...

Next chapter, we have a meeting with an immortal witch, the emergence of another KH character that hasn't been in the story yet (can't wait for the guesses on this one, haha), the end of the wedding, and the beginning of a monumental fight! It'll be enormous. Keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks for reading, review!

Lulala


	17. Married

Okay, okay, one day late. But long! I swear it's long. :D

Thank you to all reviewers. I have such great fun reading them.

Are you ready? This is going to be EPIC.

* * *

Riku stared at Hana, unable to blink. "Are you JOKING?" he hissed furiously. "What was going through your minds when—"

Hana rolled her eyes again, as if the situation wasn't of any importance or significance. "Obviously, we didn't have a say in it. It was all the boss. But the prospect of having a mole in the impenetrable castle was obviously just a bit too tempting. What we have to do in return is totally over the top."

"Are you even aware," Riku began through gritted teeth, "how many billions of humans live on Earth?"

Hana shrugged. "No, never been there, I'm afraid. But, like I said, not my choice."

He glared at her, appalled by her ignorance and inability to comprehend the magnitude of the problem. The relaxed and completely unruffled look on her face was more than enough to set Riku off. "You need to stop that plan from happening. We'll help in any way we can, just tell us what to do."

She crossed her arms. "So I risked my neck to pass you information before, and you deserted me. I hardly think you even deserve this information, Riku."

His mouth tightened; his face grew livid. "Why did you even bother, then?"

She shrugged off-handedly again. "Thought maybe you guys would figure out how to stop it."

"Like we know how they're going to do it, or where they're going to do it from," he snapped. "I know you're here for another reason. Why?"

"Why don't you just pry into my thoughts, like you always do?" her stare was piercing and unforgiving.

"I don't want to be in there anymore," he responded flatly, unmoved by her intensity. "Besides, it's rude."

"Never stopped you before," she pointed out acidly.

"I'm different." He turned back to face Yuri, and realized with suppressed glee that he had missed the part of the ceremony that would have been the most painful, and that she and Zexion were already making their way back down the aisle as the small crowd clapped wildly. Even from where he sat, Riku could read their facial expressions perfectly—Zexion looked smug, and Yuri was unsmiling. Somehow, she still managed to look completely radiant.

"You're welcome for the distraction," Hana suddenly said softly, almost reading Riku's mind. "What are you going to do?"

"Wow, no hostility?" he asked coldly. "Well, first things first, I'm going to kill that little weasel." His eyes narrowed at the thought of being near enough to Zexion to wound him.

"The moment you touch him, the members of the Adherence that are waiting outside of the castle will attack," Hana told him, nervously brushing her blonde hair behind her ears. "I have to fight, too."

"You'll die," Riku told her bluntly, facial expression neutral and without remorse. "I'm not going to tell anybody to be wary of you. Chances are, Yuri will come for you."

Hana rolled her eyes. "As if that prissy little princess could hurt me. I'm not afraid of her."

He almost smirked. "Oh, Hana, you should be. She's the most powerful here."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "There's no way she could be greater than Naminé."

"She is. Think about it logically—she's the Queen. She has unlimited access to Hollow Bastion's magic. It's her world, so to speak, and she can do whatever she wants. She doesn't, but she could."

"As I said," Hana began, "prissy little princess. That makes her even worse, if she has the power but doesn't use it." She folded her arms for emphasis, looking unimpressed.

"Or does that make her stronger for keeping it and herself under control?" he questioned, eyebrow raised as he leaned forward, anticipating her answer.

"Weaker," Hana answered positively. "She could use it to get us out of here."

"It would kill her to use enough magic to get rid of all of you," Riku said, "but one on one, she's deadly."

"At any rate, she'll be looking for you," Hana muttered, and disappeared abruptly.

Riku massaged his temples. Why did she keep returning? Could she still feel the way she did before? He shuddered at the thought. Yuri, Zexion, and the guests had all vanished into the ballroom. He leapt from the wall, and dashed down the corridor as quickly as his legs would carry him.

* * *

"She's married," Aerith sighed sadly to Leon. "Can you believe she went through with it?"

"I can," he said, nodding slowly, staring off into the distance as he often did. "She's committed to this place."

They waited on an enormous balcony, just off of the large chain of apartments used as their headquarters. "They'll be here soon, right?"

He nodded again. "Yuffie went to get them."

She wrung her hands nervously. "Are you sure they're coming to help?"

He sighed, aggravated. "Aerith, relax. Of course they're coming."

"And they want to fight?" she pressed.

"Yes. Can you think of a time when they didn't want to fight?" The corners of his mouth twitched.

After a long moment, she finally relented, "No…"

He laughed softly. "That's what I thought. It's okay, Aerith. They'll be here any minute."

She bit her lip as he ran his hand through his hair. "Did you tell Riku?"

"I didn't want to bother him today," Leon explained, looking a bit dismayed. "I figured he'd guess that they'd come back, anyway."

"I feel so terrible for Riku," she said sadly, gaze falling to the ground. "I didn't see him at the ceremony."

"He was watching," Leon assured her. "He wouldn't miss that, I don't think, no matter how angry he is."

Suddenly, Yuffie and two others dressed in black appeared in front of them near the edge of the balcony.

"Hey!" she yelled excitedly, "I hit my mark perfectly this time! How awesome am I?"

Leon chuckled under his breath. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, nice job, Yuffie."

"Welcome back!" Aerith said warmly, wrapping her arms around the blonde boy. "So glad to see you, Cloud, Tifa!"

"Thanks for coming," Leon smiled, giving Tifa a hug.

"No problem," she returned his smile. "You know we'd gladly help you anytime. We were due for a visit back, anyway."

Leon gave Aerith a pointed look, and she blushed. "She was concerned that you guys wouldn't come," he jabbed his thumb in Aerith's direction.

Her cheeks reddened further. "Absurd," Cloud said quietly, face as straight as ever. He turned his head slightly in Yuffie's direction, looking irked. Yuffie was still punching her fists in the air and celebrating, and it was clearly annoying him.

"What's been happening here recently?" Tifa asked. "We haven't been around for awhile…"

"The Adherence is spreading, as I'm sure you could guess" Aerith began. "Sora, Riku, and everyone have come back, but we've told you that already."

"Yuri was married to a prince from another world today," Leon added.

"Married?" Tifa repeated in surprise. "Why? Right now is such a silly time for a wedding!"

"He pledged to bring his armies here if given her hand," Leon explained. "Her advisors thought it best—"

"Or didn't think at all," Cloud suddenly spoke. "What good will simple soldiers do against their magic?"

Aerith suddenly looked quite displeased. "Nobody brought that up. The only one who unabashedly disagreed was Riku."

"He would," Cloud said softly. "That's funny. I would fully expect him to murder anyone that suggested Yuri do that."

Leon brushed his hair behind his ears as a sudden gust of wind sharply tousled it about. "He's protective, it's a good thing."

"Agreed," Tifa nodded once, "she needs some looking after."

"If this doesn't work, what will you do?" Cloud asked Leon, eyebrow raised.

The wind roared again. "I don't know," Leon said quietly.

* * *

"Just a bit further," Naminé murmured. They were climbing through a bright blue cavern, all looking positively exhausted. Both Sora and Roxas' hair was flat and straight, their pants and shirts scattered with tiny rips. Kairi's ankles and feet were cut up and beet red, and her hands were shaky as she slowly guided herself over the rocks.

Even Naminé looked a bit worse for the wear, but that didn't stop her leading everyone. The cave shimmered blue, somewhat reminiscent of icicles, though the rocks weren't nearly as cold, which made the trek considerably easier. The four of them were silent as they climbed through, eyes fixated on the portal of sunlight waiting at the end of the tunnel. They had traveled all night, and, at last, their destination was so close…

Naminé was first to break into the sunlight area of the Dark Depths. Kairi tumbled out after her, Roxas hopping out behind her, and Sora bringing up the rear. "We're here," Naminé announced quietly, staring straight ahead at a small but beautiful looking house.

It was pale blue, just like the cavern, with white shutters and trimming. It looked old, but perfectly normal—nobody would guess that a witch lived there.

"Are you sure this is right…?" Kairi questioned uncertainly, eyeing the house doubtfully.

"Just wait till we're inside before you make any judgments about the house," Naminé told her, smiling a little.

Slowly, the four of them approached the door, everyone naturally falling into a line behind Naminé. Whether they were afraid of what they might find in the house, Naminé didn't know, but without reserve, she reached up and rapped three times on the white door.

It was opened almost immediately by Akiko herself. "Naminé!" she said with delight. "How positively wonderful to see you!"

She smiled wryly. "You could have fooled me, considering the reception we got back on the mountain path."

Akiko returned her smile wistfully. "Can never be too careful these days, you'll understand."

The others were silent—probably taking in everything about Akiko, for she was a sight to be seen. Her skin was extremely pale, and her long hair was a rich dark blue, which hung all the way down to her waist. She wore a white cocktail-length dress, umpire-waisted and very filled out and puffy with many layers of lace beneath the fabric. Her thin, small frame didn't look a bit threatening, but they all knew better. From her brilliant ice blue eyes down to her small feet, adorned with sandals like Kairi and Naminé's, she was a huge threat to anybody that came near this house.

Akiko looked past Naminé to see her four comrades. "We've met before, but I'm not sure you'll remember that, so for the sake of being proper, I'll introduce myself. I'm Akiko."

They all introduced themselves, even though she already knew, and she warmly invited them inside.

It became evident that the outside of the house was simply a ruse—the inside was as enormous as the castle, and from what they could tell, looked a great deal like it. The large entrance hall had one of the highest ceilings any of them had ever seen, offering a stunning view into the brilliant blue sky through the paneled glass. The floors were marble, and covered with exotic rugs.

"Welcome, welcome," Akiko said, leading them across the giant hall and to a corridor on the opposite side. "The sitting room, I think, will be best."

They followed her in silence down the corridor, taking in the magnificent paintings adorning the walls. She opened a large set of wooden double doors and gestured inside. The four trouped in, and Akiko followed, closing the door behind them.

A man with a large clump of red hair was waiting in the sitting room, looking a bit anxious. Naminé, Roxas, Kairi, and Sora all sat down warily, their eyes on the stranger. "Oh, right," Akiko smacked herself in the forehead. "How rude of me! This is my apprentice, Axel."

* * *

Riku gritted his teeth and flinched as he entered the ballroom, white decorations completely overwhelming him. Everyone was currently enjoying champagne; the feast wouldn't begin for quite sometime…

Zexion looked smugger than ever. Upon noticing Riku, he excused himself from whomever he had been speaking with and wove his way across the room. "Riku, great to see you!" he greeted, though there didn't seem to be any friendly emotion at all behind it. "Did you enjoy the ceremony?"

"Sorry?" Riku acted as though he hadn't been listening. "Oh, the ceremony—no, I'm afraid I had something very important to do, I apologize."

Zexion stared for a moment. "Certainly," he said, his eyes slightly narrowing. "So, what do you think? Yuri's married now." He chuckled a little.

"I think a bit less of her for doing exactly as her advisors said, I'll admit," Riku said quietly. "She's still one of my best friends, though, and I hope _you_ take _that_ into consideration," he almost growled.

"Is that a threat?" Zexion asked coolly.

"Take it for what you will," Riku muttered, finally spotting Yuri and hurrying past Zexion.

He made his way there easily, and touched Yuri lightly on the elbow. "We need to talk, it's very important—"

"Later!" she hissed, still smiling at one of her guests. "I'll come after the feast, wait in my room!"

He gave her the most disapproving look he could muster, and disappeared back into the throng of guests. Zexion had been watching the whole thing, eyes narrowed and arms crossed, looking furious.

* * *

Naminé introduced herself and her friends to Akiko's apprentice, and Kairi asked, "How did you come to get an apprentice?"

Akiko smiled a little. "I found him wandering around outside, playing with fire, as it were—his magic of choice, I mean—and it does get awfully lonely alone all the time. He seemed a good sort, so I asked him if he wanted to learn real magic."

"I've learned a lot," he said, mimicking Akiko's smile. "It's been really great, but I think I'm ready to help you guys out with the Adherence I'm dying to get my hands on 'em."

"I'm ready, as well," Akiko added, giggling at Sora's look of elation.

"First things first—release our weapons. I'm itching to hold mine again," Roxas said, peering over at Naminé to make sure his request was okay.

"Yes, please do—I have a feeling Riku will be wanting his."

"All right, all right," Akiko said, suddenly collecting a ball of white magic in her palm. After a few moments, she squeezed her fingers over it, and it unexpectedly shattered.

Naminé, Roxas, Kairi, Sora, and even Riku and Yuri all simultaneously felt a strange unlocking feeling on their magic—their weapons were released, and would come whenever they called.

"I expect you have a bit more to ask of me," Akiko sighed a little.

"Unfortunately," Naminé grimaced. "What would I have to do to get you to lift the curse you put on the Adherence?"

Akiko shrugged. "Not much, I suppose. You can't really kill them if I have that cast on them, can you?"

"No, it's a bit problematic," Sora put in, fingers impatient and ready to call for his keyblade.

"All right, then," she nodded once, and repeated the same process she had to break the protective charm on the weapons. When the ball of magic shattered again, she held a thumbs-up for all of them to see. "Weapons available, Adherence mortal," she said. "Anything else?"

"Help us?" Naminé requested meekly.

Akiko full out laughed. "Oh, Naminé, what do you think I've planned on doing? I was simply waiting for your words."

"So you will?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course! Both you and Yuri are close friends, and I want to help!"

Naminé squealed, and the others looked quite pleased. "Come with us back to the castle, and—"

"Axel will teleport you back," Akiko interrupted. "I have a few more things I need to get in order before I leave. I'll be coming tomorrow, probably."

"Excellent!" Naminé smiled. "All right, then, let's get ready to teleport back!"

* * *

Riku paced across Yuri's main chamber for what felt like an eternity. What could she possibly be doing that was taking this long?

She suddenly burst into her room, huge dress still trailing behind her. "Ugh!" she shouted, "This SUCKS!" She magicked away her wedding dress, substituting it for a much simpler, violet colored one. Her cheeks were pink and eyes were wild with rage. "I _hate_ him!"

Riku couldn't hide his smile easily. "What did he do?"

"We're just not even going to talk about it," she insisted, still quite obviously angry. "What's more important is whatever you wanted to talk to me about."

"Promise you won't be mad?" he asked as she plopped down with a loud sigh onto her bed, long blonde hair spread out beneath her.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Hana came to speak with me today," Riku told her softly.

She sat up so fast Riku almost missed it. "_What_?"

"During the wedding," Riku quickly began the explanation. "She offered some helpful information—don't worry, she was as unpleasant as ever," he added for Yuri's benefit. "Not that it really matters—I mean, you are married now…"

"Shut up," Yuri spat. "Keep going."

"Which would you like me to do?" Riku asked, smothering a smile.

Yuri sighed again. "Keep going."

"She told me that Zexion is in cahoots with the Adherence—at his word, they'll blow up the Earth if he gets rid of us."

Yuri's eyes welled up with tears, and she let out a scream of frustration. She fell back into lying down on her bed, still shrieking. Riku moved across the room in two fast strides, and placed himself seated next to her. He gently pulled Yuri into his arms. "Listen," he murmured into her ear. "We'll get this taken care of. I'll kill him before he can do anything he says he will."

Yuri couldn't speak. She looked up at Riku sorrowfully, and he knew instinctively, without a listen into her thoughts, that the mistake she had made was tearing her apart inside. She had put her own world in danger, and the decision was taking its toll. As she stared into his eyes, Riku saw the tears suddenly disappearing…

Yuri slowly sat up, breaking the cradle of Riku's arms. She hadn't broken her gaze for a moment. To his surprise, she was leaning toward him—he held his breath as she placed her hands behind his neck—

The door burst open, and in walked Zexion. Yuri and Riku's compromising position—inches apart—set him off. "What's going on here, Yuri?" he demanded immediately, enraged.

Riku was out of her grip and against the wall before Zexion could blink. "Nothing," he insisted. "She asked me a question," he invented wildly.

"Like hell," Zexion muttered acidly. "Riku, if you'll please leave the room, I'd like to have a talk with my _wife_."

"In your dreams," Riku said angrily. "You'll have to kill me first."

"That can be arranged," Zexion spat back, his sword appearing from nowhere.

Riku suddenly felt an unlocking in his magic, and mentally thanked his comrades for their impeccable timing. He summoned it, and it came eagerly. Zexion looked surprised to see it, but lunged at Riku anyway. Yuri grew white-faced as Riku and Zexion's weapons clanged together.

* * *

Okay, okay. Fighting, yay! That's going to be an insane one! Yes, I know, Zexion doesn't fight with a sword per se, but... in my opinion, it makes more sense if he uses one. I mean, in here, he's pretty much just a psycho prince. XD

Anyways. Thoughts? Review!

As always, thank you so very much,

Lulala


	18. War Zone

Hi :D

Happy superbowl sunday! I was going to post this last night, but I was literally out all day, as well as being out far later than I expected... anyways. I took a great deal of care in writing this chapter, as it's a particularly important one, with a very important clue about something to happen in the future buried beneath everything else.

Chocolate pudding for anybody who guesses :D

* * *

"Why, again, is Axel teleporting us?" Kairi whispered to Naminé as Axel led the way through Akiko's labyrinth-sized home. "I mean, can't you do that?" 

"I could," she nodded once, a thoughtful tone about her. "I think the problem may be that Akiko expects the Adherence to be waiting and watching for me to perform a spell like that, because then they'll know where we are and where we're going… they'd recognize my magic, but when they feel Axel's, she doesn't think they'll give it a second thought." She still looked a bit uncertain, and fiddled with a strand of bright blonde hair that had come loose from her ponytail.

"Okay, I suppose that makes sense," Kairi reasoned quietly. "I just can't wait to get my hand back around the handle of my keyblade!" Her eyes lit up; the thought seemed to thrill her.

Naminé stifled a chuckle. "You guys and your weapons."

Sora perked up at the word 'weapons'. "Are you talking about our keyblades?" He asked loudly, shattering the quiet and relaxed air of secrecy.

"You're excited, too," Kairi observed, giggling. "I can't wait! I love this bow, but… nothing will ever feel as right in my hand as that does."

"Agreed," Roxas put in, grinning cheekily in Naminé's direction as she sighed.

"Don't tease, Roxas," Kairi chided as his cheeks rapidly colored pink. Sora laughed, which prompted an immediate and scathing glance from an irritated Roxas. How was he supposed to get close to Naminé again if his friends kept embarrassing him and making him look like an idiot? He tossed his completely flat, dampened hair from his eyes, and stared determinedly ahead as Sora sniggered behind him.

Axel was smiling to himself, listening to their banter. It was just as Akiko had told him it would be—a step back into high school. Sure, they may have had remarkable weapons, qualities, and abilities, but deep down… they were young, and wanted to have a good time. Thankful they couldn't see his face, he continued on, and soon reached the main hall with the large, glass ceiling, the four teens drifting along behind him.

"We'll leave from here," Axel announced whirling around to face them as they reached the center of the room. "Got it? I dunno why, but Akiko says it's got the best magic in the house, or something."

"If you can honestly call this a house," Sora muttered to Naminé. "It's enormous!"

"Heard that," Axel sang, giving Sora a playful, friendly look. "Doesn't matter, does it? Anyway, grab each other. We don't want to lose anyone."

Naminé, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas all linked arms, and Axel attached himself to Naminé. "Casting spell in 3… 2… 1…"

* * *

Zexion's surprise at the sight of Riku's keyblade had boosted Riku's confidence a great deal more than it had already ballooned—he had assumed Riku would be fighting with an everyday, run-of-the-mill weapon. He knew, just as everyone else knew, what types of miracles Riku had accomplished with such a weapon. It was unlikely that it ever would have worked for any of the Adherence, but they still saw it as something worth attempting to steal. 

As Riku easily blocked all advances Zexion attempted to make, he couldn't help wondering how quickly the Adherence would know that their fight had begun. Yuri's bedroom was already in shambles—bookcases had been toppled, rugs had been slipped askew and had random gaping gashes from sword swings that had gone astray, and anything glass had already been broken. Zexion wasn't particularly strong, but his agility was unbelievable. Yuri, still looking very pale and on the verge of being physically ill, managed to shriek encouragements for Riku, but couldn't herself enter the fray—they were moving too quickly, and unless they tired out, she'd run a very high risk of striking Riku.

She kept her magic ready, in case an opportunity to finish Zexion arose. Riku's long hair was flying as he and Zexion continued the deadly fight, parrying and swinging at record speeds. Riku's intricate and large weapon dwarfed Zexion's sword, which was plainly visible despite their incredible speed. As the spastic flashes of silver looked dangerously close to Riku, Yuri heard his magic in her mind—he was sending her a message, a message Zexion couldn't hear—

_Go_.

_No!_ she vehemently thought back, boring through the blurred shape she thought was Riku with her eyes. _I want to stay with you_!

_Go_, he repeated. _Alert the others. We're going to be attacked_.

Zexion would know Riku and Yuri communicated—of that, Yuri was certain. His sensory of magic was obviously taught by the Adherence, since he had kept Riku from his thoughts remarkably well. Despite all that, Zexion would never be able to be sure what Riku had told Yuri. She bit her lip, torn. Riku needed her to find Leon. Naminé would realize Riku was fighting before long—the moment he used a spell, she would know—but Leon, Aerith, and the rest wouldn't. They didn't know Riku like Naminé did, and they wouldn't be watching Riku like she would be. If the castle would soon be under siege, they needed to know; they needed to be prepared.

_How the hell do you prepare for an army_? she thought wryly for Riku's benefit. _Quit listening, Riku, concentrate on your fight_!

_Then go_! he urged impatiently. _Don't worry about me_!

_I'll be back_, she promised, closing her eyes. With a snap of her fingers, she was gone.

* * *

"Very good," Korin nodded at an anonymous, black-haired Adherence member. Her expression was distinctly bored. They had been camped out outside the castle for days, waiting, waiting, waiting… Quite frankly, she as well as everybody else was itching for some action. The wedding had gone off without a hitch, thankfully, but Korin wished desperately that Zexion would hurry. "He'll definitely be contacting us when all is ready, then?" 

"It's what he told me," the girl shrugged in reply, looking nearly as bored as Korin.

Hana popped up quite suddenly next to Korin. "I've seen him—"

"You got in?" Korin immediately straightened out of her lackadaisical slouch, eyes bulging in surprise. "You actually got in?" The paleness of her skin was almost frightening against her surprised, nearly euphoric state. "That's great news!"

"Zexy is fine," Hana assured Korin. "I don't think we'd be able to penetrate the protective magic again, though—not until we all try at once."

"A safe assessment," Korin agreed, a wide smile breaking onto her ordinarily rigid face. "Did you see anything else while you were in there?"

Hana shook out her hair. "Not a ton," she lied. "I did see Yuri, though, she looks a mess. Riku's almost worse."

Korin's eyes suddenly grew intense, the darkness of them giving Hana a distinct feeling that all the sudden, Korin didn't trust her. Korin closed the small gap between the two, a hard and immovable look on her face. Hana crossed her arms awkwardly, trying to edge away from the furious-looking Korin, but Korin easily won the short battle of movement, and hissed into Hana's ear, "You saw him?" She enunciated every syllable with sharp disapproval.

Taken aback, Hana's cool and careless exterior cracked. "Well, yeah," she admitted quietly, doing her best impression of composure. "He was hiding."

Korin took a step back and dropped her head forward slightly to give Hana a patronizing gaze through her eyelashes. "He was upset." The awkward non-question hung in the air, giving Hana nervous jitters. How could Korin possibly be suspicious of her?

"Well, yeah," Hana replied, feigning disinterest.

A long pause increased the air of suspicion. "Hana," Korin finally began loudly, obviously preparing to lecture her and hoping others would flock around her like starving chickens to a farmer with a bag of seed, as they always did, to absorb her valuable wisdom. "Do you know why it is that we are all created to have either impossibly dark hair or incomprehensibly light hair, and pale skin?"

Hana shook her head, tired of the lecture already. No, Korin had never shared that bit of information with her.

"To stand out," Korin said simply. "Our boss wanted us to stand out, and she wanted people to fear us. She wanted everyone to know who we are."

"Makes sense," Hana offered feebly, not entirely sure what Korin was expecting her to say.

"Be proud of it, and wear it well," Korin advised her loudly. She bowed her head towards Hana's ear again and muttered, "If I suspect you of dishonoring that again by behaving like a child and going to visit your old flame while you were on a specific mission, Hana, you won't look like us anymore. And, believe me, living in this world without looking like us is about to become hell. You don't want that."

Hana found her heart thundering against her sternum, fear pumping violently through her veins. No, fighting against her immortal comrades was about the last thing she wanted. She hadn't expected Korin to become suspicious so quickly… she hadn't expected her to realize what she was doing before it was too late…

Very abruptly, Korin felt a disturbance in the magic surrounding Riku, whose magic was being watched painstakingly by all high-ranking Adherence members. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated, attempting to sort what exactly had caused the disturbance—he didn't cast a spell…

"Did you feel that?" she whispered to Hana. "Riku's magic…?"

Hana nodded curtly, eyes wide as she too attempted to find the infraction. Both mulled it over silently, when suddenly, Riku's magic was the least of their concerns.

It felt like a black hole had been forced down Hana's gullet, and was sucking her up from the inside out. Her head suddenly split open in pain, and shrieks erupted from all around her. Even Korin had dropped to her knees, eyes threatening to water as she grasped her hair tightly, overtaken by the pain. Hana's body began to violently shake, and she saw Korin's already alabaster complexion growing whiter. Both of their muscles seemed to give under their weight at the same time—both the blonde and the black haired girl collapsed into a violently quaking heaps, completely unaware that all other Adherence members, no matter where they were, were experiencing the same pain. It felt like her muscles were being ripped from her bones and flopping about as the coolness of the ground abated the burning heat of her typically frigid skin.

"What's… happening?" she groaned unsteadily to Korin, who was still grabbing at her hair shakily.

"No idea!" Korin managed to croak back, breaking a sweat.

Despite everything going on in her mind, something clicked, and one word popped out of Hana's mouth before she could stop it—"Mortal?" It came out raspy and higher than her normal voice.

"It—can't—be!" Korin struggled at nearly a shriek.

* * *

Zexion swung for Riku's head. He ducked backward handily, and swung his sword upward, slicing Zexion's clean in half with a mighty clang. As Zexion slid backward, Riku allowed himself a brief moment of pride before Zexion muttered something, and a new, larger sword sprouted from the stub of the old. Gritting his teeth together in a satisfied and confident grin, Riku tightened his grip on his keyblade and set his feet. 

Zexion struggled for a moment, looking as though he was about to speak, but bit his tongue, and remained silent. Riku's leg muscles tensed as Zexion charged, and he leaped nearly halfway across the chamber to meet Zexion, weapons loudly emitting echoing clinks as they came together again and again, faster and faster…

Riku used one of his best twisting moves on Zexion, and found him suddenly wide open—with all the strength he could muster, he tightly grasped the handle of his keyblade and sunk the butt of it as deep into Zexion's perfect, princely face as it would go.

Zexion doubled over, but was too fast for Riku to do anymore damage. He was already against the wall on the other side of the chamber, having scuttled over there faster than Riku had ever witnessed an injured person move. He swore loudly, blood from his broken nose leaking down his face and dripping from his chin. Riku fought off a smirk unwillingly, desperately wanting to gloat over Zexion's damaged face.

"Think it's funny?" Zexion hissed, barely loudly enough for Riku to hear. "I hope you said goodbye to Yuri!"

Before Riku could even think to cast a shield spell, the room exploded. Yuri's belongings flew everywhere, knocking into Riku as he was blasted backward and through a stone wall. The wind kicked up and the temperature changed—he had been knocked all the way onto Yuri's balcony. When everything stopped flying, Riku could feel all of his injuries panging urgently and painfully. His hand had been broken while he protected his face, and his breathing felt shallow and excruciating, which meant broken ribs. His hair was matted to his sweaty face, and his limbs were unwilling to move. A dusting of rubble covered him, and he could hear Zexion's muffled footsteps closing in on him. He dug at what was left of his strength, summoned all the power he could, and cast the most powerful shield spell he could, blowing Zexion across the balcony and slamming his back against the harsh stone railing…

* * *

Naminé's magic rippled in warning, and immediately, she knew what had happened. Their feet slammed into the ground in the main hall of the castle as Axel's spell finished, and Naminé grabbed Roxas. He read her mind, and when everyone was again attached, she teleported them to the door outside of Yuri's room. 

"Riku is in trouble," she whispered. "They're in this room. I don't care if the Adherence knows we're here—we do whatever we have to in order to save him."

Kairi was white-faced, and Sora looked nervous and concerned. Roxas, like Naminé, looked more determined than anything. Axel nodded in understanding. "Riku has purple hair," Roxas told him, just for clarification. "He carries a weapon like ours." Axel nodded, and Naminé, with alarming abruptness and speed, kicked down the door, summoning her daggers from the magical realm as she and her comrades crossed the threshold into the war zone.

* * *

Korin slowly stood up, feeling Zexion's magic tug at hers uncomfortably. "Now?" she spat in disbelief. "You choose _now_ to begin the fight?" Her voice was nearing furious screaming. The rest of the Adherence seemed to be weakly getting to their feet around her. 

"We're mortal!" Hana announced, an angry fierceness about her. Her voice boomed over the strange silence.

"Zexion has begun," Korin shouted, "and it's time to fight! Let no concerns of mortality affect our assault!"

Everyone drew their weapons, and quickly and efficiently organized into their ranks. Korin, Hana, and a disheveled Tomoko led the army across the plain, where the castle stood waiting in the distance.

* * *

War time! XD Next chapter, the siege of the castle... begins! 

Thoughts? Guesses? Anything? Review!

Thank you,

Lulala


	19. I Really Care About You

I'm sorry I'm late. But there are some welcome surprises I think everybody will enjoy in here... yes, I'm convinced you'll forgive me... XD

One question. I'm working on my next R x N, and I'm going to begin asking you questions. XD Would you prefer if I wrote a more AU story, or something that sticks more to the actual game?

Anyway. Read on!

* * *

The young, blonde Queen sat, alone, at the edge of the largest fountain on the castle grounds, the water reflecting the blue in her eyes magnificently. She fiddled with her fingers, and twisted one of her many rings nervously. Normally, she would be perched upon her throne, her head tilted slightly upward in an impression of regality—but not today. Something was coming, and she knew it… sure, they had already been invaded, but something more terrible, more ominous was looming, and the Queen couldn't seem to shake the notion.

"Yuri?" Naminé peered cautiously around a tall, leafy hedge, attempting to be as minimally invasive as possible. "You okay?"

"Sure," she shrugged with a weak smile, lifting her legs out of their crossed position and hugging them to her chest as she continued to watch her rippling reflection in the water. "How about you?"

Naminé struggled for a moment. "I… killed somebody last night."

"Come over here," Yuri gestured toward the seat on the ledge next to her. "Let's talk, you seem bothered."

Naminé crossed the small patch of well-groomed, almost unrealistically green grass, and plopped down exhaustedly next to Yuri. Sadness in her wide, blue eyes, she said, "Well, wouldn't you be?"

Yuri gave Naminé a dry glance. "Sure, if you guys would just let me fight."

In response, Naminé snorted. "Right, like we'd put you in that sort of danger. Riku would never allow it, nor would any of the rest of us." Just as she calmed down, the idea of it prompted another bout of chortling.

Yuri brushed her hair behind her ears as she felt her cheeks reddening. Turning away, she sighed, "Of course, Riku's my caretaker. Or something."

"Or something," Naminé agreed with a small smile. "Hey, this may sound weird, but… has your magic been feeling strange lately?"

In one swift movement, she uncurled her legs and placed them back on the ground, simultaneously leaning toward Naminé. "Yes!" she breathed. "How did you—"

"Mine has, too," Naminé confessed, her worry easily showing itself in her pale, delicate features. Yuri knew that Roxas was on her mind, but thought it best to leave any suspicions about that unsaid. "Something's coming, wouldn't you agree?"

"An all out offensive, perhaps," Yuri agreed thoughtfully. "You guys aren't ready, are you?"

Naminé's response was swift and nearly emotionless: "Yuri, we were born ready."

It was silent for a moment, save the trickling of the fountain, and the joyful bubbling noise made by moving water. "Funny thing, magic," Yuri mused softly. "Do you know what type of spell currently protects the castle?"

Naminé shook her head. "No, I don't recognize it and you haven't told any of us much about it…"

Yuri smiled crookedly, and looked up toward the sky, where an invisible bubble of magical protection hung over and all around the castle. "One of my better inventions, I'd say. Nobody with the intent of harming any of us can penetrate it without great amounts of power... unless we let them in, which, as you can guess, is extremely unlikely to happen."

Naminé's gaze followed Yuri's toward the pristine blue sky, and she smirked to match. "You're right, I don't think anybody will recognize or guess that. But someone with good intentions could walk right through the enchantment, I suppose?"

"Precisely. It eliminates any difficulties you may have teleporting back into the castle, which was one of my main concerns. It also won't accept or believe liars, should anybody ever figure out what the spell is." Yuri seemed quite proud of the invention, and Naminé could completely understand why—it really was an extraordinary spell.

"I agree with you, though," Naminé said, "about magic. It really is a funny thing."

Yuri stood up abruptly, and quickly straightened her skirt. "Someday, Naminé, you and I both will understand it, I hope." Smiling warmly, she held out her hand. Without hesitation, Naminé took it, and Yuri helped her up. Slowly, they wandered back toward the castle in a comfortable, friendly silence. Somehow, Naminé suspected that Yuri hadn't been talking about actual magic…

* * *

Why the day Yuri had told her about the enchantment had suddenly flashed before Naminé's eyes, she couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was because her room was completely torn apart. The whole wall leading toward the balcony was blown out, and it seemed everything had been broken and dislodged from its correct place. Anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach, her eyes scanned the room as intensely as a missile searching for a target in an attempt to find the culprit. Riku's large mop of hair wasn't anywhere to be seen.

She dashed across the room, avoiding piles of rubble. Behind her, she heard soft noises similar to that of tinkling bells—keyblades were being summoned. Suddenly, the injuries she had were of little importance. Her throbbing, sore ankle had immediately ceased the moment she caught sight of Riku laying still on the balcony. She vaulted the remains of the wall, landing on her knees at Riku's side.

Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Axel all suddenly joined her—she presumed she had forgotten others were there—and as she quickly examined him, Sora looked more worried than Naminé had ever seen him, and Kairi already had tears spilling over onto her cheeks. "Riku," Naminé murmured softly, probing quickly to discover his injuries. Broken hand, broken ribs… she quickly pushed back his eyelid and realized with a jolt that the dilation of his pupils meant that he had a concussion… the blankness in his aquamarine eyes chilled her, leaving her insides shaking in fear and anxiety. In a snap, she had thought of the correct spell for mending them all, and with a sigh of relief as Riku began to breathe normal again, Naminé's eyes searched for Roxas's.

He hadn't been watching Riku at all. His attention had been completely upon the dark haired man, seated against the railing, slouched over in pain. "Naminé, I think he's the one that did this to Riku."

Her head snapped in the direction of the accused, eyes zeroing in and already turning red. "_What_?"

Sora suddenly stood up, and together, he and Roxas rushed over to capture the criminal before he got away, anger etched in every worry line on their faces.

* * *

Yuri had decided to check the large chamber Leon had declared their 'headquarters' first. Sure enough, he and Cloud were huddled over a large computer talking strategy, while Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie pored over enormous books of maps, charting out where the Adherence was rumored to be hiding. Yuffie had done a bit of undercover scouting work recently, and had already highlighted, circled, and decorated the map with colored pins, which signified where the Adherence had control. As Yuri appeared out of thin air right in the center of the camber, her hair blown about wildly and wedding dress gone, everyone turned to face her, immediately recognizing that something was wrong.

"What's happening?" Leon demanded sharply, standing quickly. Cloud was to his feet, and the girls had crossed the room in a frenzied bound.

"Riku," Yuri breathed. "He and Zexion, fighting, in my room!"

Leon turned to Yuffie, and nodded. "Tifa, go with Yuffie. Aerith, take Cloud. I'll come with you, Yuri," he ordered, rushed words falling out of his mouth before anyone had a chance to breathe or take in the information. Yuffie grasped Tifa's elbow and disappeared, shortly followed by Aerith and Cloud. Leon hooked his elbow through Yuri's, and they reappeared in her completely destroyed bedroom.

"What…?" she murmured, astounded by the mayhem. The ruins of many of her possessions couldn't hold her attention for long—she remembered what she was supposed to be looking for—

Her wall was completely blown out, save for a small layer of brick about knee height left. Naminé, Kairi, and a tall man with flaming red hair that she didn't recognize knelt around Riku's still body. She was beside him before anyone could blink.

Naminé was grasping one of Riku's hands firmly, while Kairi held the other, both red faced and upset. "Riku!" she shouted, terrified that he was… no, he couldn't be…

She propped his head into her lap and brushed his bangs from his face. "What's the damage?" she asked Naminé, beckoning Aerith come over to examine him. They were all headed purposefully in the direction of where Sora and Roxas were struggling with Zexion—Aerith quickly changed her course, and moved swiftly toward them.

"I've healed what was broken, so he should be all right," she said hoarsely, watery eyes wide with unabated fear.

"Should be," Yuri whispered to herself. She leaned forward, and kissed Riku's forehead softly. "Please… wake up…"

His eyes snapped open. "Where is that stupid…" he sat up, cheeks already tight with anger. "What… what is all this?" he looked from Naminé, to Kairi, to Yuri…

"You were hurt, idiot," Kairi shoved his arm a little, smiling weakly and crying tears of relief. "Never scare us like that again!"

"Thank you for worrying," he told them all gratefully, freeing his hands and standing up as though nothing had happened. His eyes caught sight of where Zexion was trying to hold Sora, Roxas, Leon, Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie off with a shield spell. Riku dashed across the balcony, Yuri springing up and hanging at his heels, both summoning their weapons as they went. Riku saw the fear in Zexion's eyes as he approached. In one rushed movement, Zexion removed his shield spell, and sprang himself into the air. He landed on the roof of the castle, where he took off running.

"We have to catch him!" Riku shouted in command as both he and Yuri cast similar spells to propel them from the balcony onto the roof.

As his comrades all shot themselves like rockets into the sky and onto the roof, Roxas sprinted over to where Naminé was still kneeling on the ground. He collapsed onto his knees next to her, placing an arm comfortingly around her shoulders. "Naminé, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

She didn't look at him. "I just… I didn't want this to begin again…"

He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fine! Nothing is going to happen to us." His smile was impossible to resist.

She still somehow looked skeptical. "You better be right, Roxas. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt…"

"I'm not going to," he said confidently. "Anybody that comes near you… I'll annihilate them."

For a moment, she seemed to be struggling over whether to say what was really on her mind or not. After a moment that felt like hours, she finally said, "I'm not angry at you, Roxas. It was really silly for me to get angry in the first place… one of us could be killed… but I'm so glad you've been along for all this…"

He smiled widely, elated. Finally, he was getting somewhere! "I just want you to know, I… I would never try to hurt you. I care so much about you…" The smile quickly vanished. He hadn't meant for _that_, exactly, to come out.

She looked at him, surprised. The redness of her face had faded to a soft, pink glow on her cheeks, giving her the look of being slightly flustered. Her hair had fallen loose from the ponytail, and despite the messiness of it all, she still looked more beautiful than Roxas could ever have imagined. Before he knew it, he was feeling a sudden rush of bravery. He assumed it came from a desire so deep and powerful that it was impossible to deny. He didn't want things to be like they were on Earth between he and Naminé… awkward friends, while he was too nervous to act on how he really felt…

Slowly, he removed his arm from over her shoulders, and grasped her hands in his. Together, they stood, and, facing each other, leaned their heads back to gaze at the sky, just as Naminé and Yuri had on that day, so long ago, that Naminé had suddenly remembered. Roxas's sudden and unexpected surge of bravery was pushing him toward her—slowly, very slowly…

She lowered her head, and said, "Thank you for this, seriously… I really care about you, Roxas…"

Roxas took this as his cue—with both of their hands still linked together in front of them, he leaned forward and kissed her.

* * *

The large group of fighters chased determinedly after Zexion, who was once again amazing Riku with his speed. Kairi and Sora were both explaining something quietly to the man neither Riku nor Yuri recognized as they ran, while Leon, Cloud, and Riku broke out to the front of the pack. Just as they were approaching the highest point of the roof, Riku heard Kairi give a surprised shriek behind them, and quickly twisted to make sure she was okay—she looked fine, but was waving her arms frantically. Riku suddenly knew what she had seen with her magic—

Upon reaching the highest point, he heard Leon whistle, and Cloud drew his sword. Moments later, Riku skidded to a stop, as well—an army of Adherence members were marching toward the castle. Yuri, Tifa, Yuffie, Aerith, Kairi, and Sora all caught up with them, panting.

"An _army_?" Sora breathed in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Afraid so," Leon nodded. "We figured something was going on when we felt you guys return, Sora… it was much too soon, which meant you had seen little opposition…"

Riku watched Zexion slide down the roof to meet up with his allies, and scowled. He'd get him… later. He felt Yuri at his side, and found her hand. As he held it, he muttered through gritted teeth, "I'll get him. Don't you worry."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Looks like we're going to have to fight," Yuffie commented loudly. "What do you say, Leon?"

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," he replied, agitated. "Yes, we're going to have to."

"Everybody ready?" Yuri questioned quietly. There were swift, stiff nods all around, and Roxas and Naminé had suddenly joined them from behind, holding hands.

"Do not let them past us and toward the castle," Naminé instructed as they all drew their weapons. She released Roxas's hand, and her daggers sparkled from nowhere into her hands. "If someone is injured, teleport back into the castle, and barricade yourself in with as much magic as you can think of. If for some reason they begin to cross us and take the castle, everybody grab as many others as you can and teleport somewhere, anywhere. We'll meet up later. Any questions?"

Axel raised his hand. "Uh, yeah… What are all of your names?"

The tense air was suddenly broken with chuckles. "I'm just sayin', I'm Axel, for any of you that didn't know. Akiko's apprentice and master magician," he put in amidst everyone's laughter at his impeccable timing.

They quickly went full circle, stating names of each member of the group, and helping Axel quickly memorize them. Naminé couldn't stand still. Her anxious agitation was eventually squelched by Roxas, who placed his arm around her and carefully spun her around, so that she was facing away from the approaching army, murmuring a couple of choice words in her ear as they went.

At last, Axel was prepared to call out to anybody in their group during the battle, and he announced that Akiko had just contacted him. "She'll be arriving momentarily, and she's bringing friends," he announced.

Naminé squeezed her eyes shut in deep thought. "They're all wearing black and white…"

"Right… and?" Riku said expectantly.

"Let's all wear crimson and white," she suggested, eyes popping open with the arrival of her brilliant idea. "That way, we can identify everyone—is that okay?"

There was a general murmur of ascent, and, as if reading each others' minds, Naminé and Yuri quickly joined hands, and waved both of their free arms in arcs. Everyone standing on the roof was suddenly wearing all red and white clothing. Naminé's destroyed clothes had been replaced by a long red umpire-waisted tank top, and a pair of white leggings. Yuri wore something almost opposite—white on top, red on bottom. With everyone similarly dressed and the army drawing closer, Yuri finally decided to speak.

"Everyone… I'm sorry for all of this. Zexion was a mistake, and… I love you all. If you're in trouble, please, don't stay—get yourself out." Her voice didn't waver a bit. "Let's go."

They slid down the slope of the roof, and before long, they had reached the ground. Stealthily, they climbed to the top of the massive stone wall surrounding the castle, each spreading out, ducking below the ledge. The Adherence would sure be in for a surprise when they came close enough for them to begin launching spells…

* * *

As they marched, Hana's thoughts were launching an all-out offensive on her rationale. She knew what the Queen's spell on the castle entailed, after passing through it. The real question was, did Korin know? There was no way she would have been able to pass through, had it been an ordinary spell… surely, Korin had to realize that…

Either way, now that they had enough members, their boss had ordered, at last, an attack on the castle. Too long, she had said, they had left it be, without even an attempt to break in, save Hana's little adventure. Now was the time to kill the Queen, and now was the time to slaughter her warriors.

A lump rose in Hana's throat as she pictured the slaughter of any of them… and the thought made her sick. But what could she do? She was stuck as an Adherence member. Like Korin said, if you weren't ghostly pale with either black or blonde hair, Hollow Bastion was about to become a terrible place to live. One movement of betrayal and her hair wouldn't be blonde anymore…

* * *

Akiko had appeared with six other witches from around the world, all already dressed in red—Roxas assumed Axel had passed the memo along to her. He searched for Naminé, who was ducked down about 30 feet from his left. As he fervently prayed for her safety—what sort of luck would it be for her to die _now_?—he suddenly felt her magic as she sent them all a message.

_Fire_.

Just like that, spells shot over the wall and into the mob of black-clad enemies. Shrieks of surprise and dismay were mingled with screams of those that may have been unfortunate enough to have perished already.

_Quickly, fire_.

Again, they all shot spells down into the crowd. More shrieks, mingled with orders being shouted by their superiors. Everyone knew the attack from above had become useless, as they'd all be ready with magical shields for the next onslaught, and instead decided to jump over the ledge and land in a line right in front of the wall, heading the Adherence off. Suddenly, Naminé's magic disappeared, and was replaced by Yuri's.

_One… Two… Three._

Roxas grabbed the ledge and launched himself over it, watching Naminé fly gracefully to the ground from the corner of his eye. They landed in front of the shocked Adherence, weapons drawn, and ready to fight.

Sure enough, Korin was leading them all, with Zexion standing at her side. Roxas felt Riku's anger, though he was quite a bit further down the line from him. "You're actually going to try to fight us?" Korin shouted. Her army had halted. She sounded hysterical with laughter. "You might as well surrender now!"

Nobody spoke. Roxas sunk into a fighting stance, and saw all of his comrades do the same. "If that's the way you want it, then!" Korin screamed. "Attack!"

A spell came flying toward Roxas, which he easily blocked with his keyblade as he ran forward. He sent a couple of his own flying, and saw Naminé catch a spell with her daggers and throw it back. Akiko and Axel were already teaming up and casting some powerful magic, which was shattering shields everywhere, while the glow of Naminé and Yuri's red eyes was already visible to their opponents.

As the army drew closer, it became clear whom everyone was gunning to kill. Korin made immediately for a fight with Naminé, and Riku was engaged with Zexion. Hana was fighting Yuri, while Cloud dueled at least four at once. Aerith was locked up with Tomoko, Leon with numbers similar to Cloud, slashing anything within reach. Tifa and Yuffie stood back to back, surrounded by Adherence members, and Akiko's friends were all fiercely attacking.

Roxas took his keyblade to a blonde girl that was rushing toward him, knocking her easily to the ground, as he hurried to help Naminé with Korin.

* * *

Woot, battle! That nice R x N surprise was probably great for some of you... :D Either way, I hope you enjoyed it. Please answer my question!

Thanks for reading,

Lulala


	20. Raging Battle

Haha. Hello.

If you checked my profile update, I had a computer crash that was nearly fatal to this document. XD THANK GOD for external hard drives. That would be the reason for the delay.

Anyways. The reason for this story being rated "T" is exposed in this chapter. The fighting is somewhat descriptive. Nothing too, horrible or graphic, I don't think... mention of blood or mention of being stabbed is probably the worst it gets. I tried to keep it as minimal as I could, but, I wanted this to be really, really good. I wanted you to feel like you were there, watching, egging people on like it's a wrestling match. XD Let me know what you think!

* * *

Riku spun, knocking his keyblade into Zexion's sword for seemingly the thousandth time, using enough force to send Zexion veering backward. Every time Riku thought he saw an opening, it seemed Zexion closed it unnaturally quickly. He shot off a red spell that sounded like a gunshot, which Riku had been expecting, and he blocked it with ease as he charged toward Zexion, fury pumping through his veins and releasing relentless amounts of adrenaline. 

Close by, the battle between Yuri and Hana raged. Riku kept tabs on it by listening through Yuri's mind—that way, he could concentrate on his own fighting while still getting the blow-by-blow. From the way it sounded, Hana was barely holding her own, and for a quick and tempting moment, Riku wanted to listen to Hana's thoughts, to see if she was trying at all… he stopped himself as Zexion launched a particularly powerful and fierce attack.

Before long, he realized Hana must have snapped out of it—she was suddenly putting up an extraordinary fight. Her magic was much better than either Yuri or Riku had been expecting, and she was rather good with a katana. Wasn't it ironic? Both girls fought with them…

Zexion was tired. It was plain in his features, the slouch of his shoulders, and the heaving of his chest. The fight was one of the most strenuous Riku had ever been involved in, but in a test of stamina, the clear winner would be Riku. How much longer would Zexion be able to hold out? His face was glistening with the sweat of a brutal fight. He and Riku charged each other again, using magic, weapons, anything to get the upper hand.

At last, Zexion caught Riku's keyblade at a stalemate. Riku pushed against Zexion's sword so intensely that his muscles screamed in protest. His hair stuck to his face as they struggled, both breathing raggedly.

"Ready to give up?" Riku managed a smirk, which was miraculous given his exhaustion.

"Depends," Zexion replied thoughtfully, keeping his face and tone as calm as he could despite the unprecedented pain of it all. "Are you still alive?"

Riku's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't been expecting such an aggressive response. "You're dreaming if you think you're going to get to me."

"And you're dreaming if you think Yuri loves you," Zexion spat back, polishing it off with a strange and rambling laugh. "I know the truth. She's a selfish coward—"

"STOP IT!" Riku shouted, suddenly mustering enough force to shove Zexion away. One well-placed paralysis spell later, and Zexion was frozen in his stance. Riku slowly moved forward, hoping the anticipation of his death was really getting to Zexion. He wanted Zexion's last moments alive to haunt him for the rest of eternity… he wanted the look in his eyes to nearly scare him to death before he had the chance to give him a taste of keyblade that he deserved. "Don't talk about her. You don't know the first thing about her," Riku growled fiercely. "She's probably the only truly good person that it'll ever be your good fortune to meet."

Zexion's eyes went strangely blank—did he realize the end was near?

Yuri's voice was in his head. _Riku, watch Korin, to the left_!

Before he knew it, he was on the ground, with Korin cackling in the back round. She had seen Zexion in his peril, and found a moment to rescue him, despite the fact that she was dueling both Naminé and Roxas. He felt Zexion coming toward him, the paralysis spell broken, and knew he had to do something.

A surge of power was suddenly lifting him from the ground, and it took him a moment to realize that Yuri was much closer than he thought. She had found a way around Hana to heal him, and help him—feeling good as new, he launched another spell at Zexion, and headed straight into another pass at him.

* * *

Yuri's hair flew as she summoned all of her power into her ancient katana, preparing to cannon it in Hana's direction. She had wanted a crack at this horrible girl for longer than she could remember, and finally, she had her chance to get revenge. 

Hana fought with a weapon quite similar to Yuri's, and was prone to releasing random and unexpected spurts of very powerful magic. In some ways, Yuri saw Naminé in Hana as she fought—both were very intellect oriented; both laboriously sorted out plans in their mind before acting. To them, it was certainly an issue of mind over matter. The intensity in Hana's eyes rivaled that of Naminé's, and they had nearly the same battle face—teeth clenched into almost a grimace when things grew rough. Hana swung a particularly good placed strike, which Yuri had to resort to blocking with magic. A spell from Hana exploded in her face, rendering her momentarily blind.

Somehow, she still knew where Hana was going to put her blade, and managed to protect herself until she could cast a quick spell to heal the damage Hana had done. She charged something blue into her katana and lunged at Hana, red eyes wide and spine-chilling. It was hard for Hana to stare into them, knowing what Riku saw when he looked into Yuri's eyes… something she so desperately wished he could see in her eyes instead.

Yuri's blue spell was blocked, and the girls began a vigorous attempt at slashing each other, which rivaled the battle of Riku and Zexion. Both girls wanted to win very badly… the tension in the air suggested they were fighting _for_ Riku. Yuri ducked one of Hana's shots by use of a lightning fast back-bend, hands roughly hitting the ground. She flipped her legs over her head, launching another blue spell at Hana as she came back onto her feet.

It hit her in the back, and as she fell face-first into the dirt, Yuri saw a spell cast by Hana too late—it hit her squarely in the knees, and she too crumpled to the ground.

Breathing shallowly, each girl took the necessary steps to heal themselves, and at nearly the same time, both were standing again.

Hana's face was dirty, and the front of her black uniform was tan with dust from the ground. Her hair had become a tangled mop on her head, and her shoulders were rising and falling visibly with her panting. Yuri was similarly worse for the wear, with her face already bruised and a gash on her arm, but it didn't seem to bother either of them. Their eyes zeroed in on each other yet again, and the fight began anew. If the prize was Riku, there was no way either of them would go down with just a fight—it would take a war.

* * *

Even with Roxas' help, Naminé and Korin's fight was intense and evenly matched. She kept calling other powerful members to distract Roxas, in hopes that Naminé would again overuse her magic and burn herself out. In Naminé's mind, that was out of the question. Once was enough. She dodged a quick spell Korin had cast, and sent a purple, whirly one her way in response. At that point, spells just seemed a waste with Korin—she had a knack for escaping, no matter the circumstance, just as she always had. Roxas was currently locked up with a skilled magician, which left Naminé to defend herself against the black spell Korin cast, which cracked like a whip as it flew through the air. Naminé didn't recognize it, but clutched her daggers, and stabbed the left one into the black light as forcefully as she could, feeling her weapon drinking in the pulsating power. 

Korin didn't look surprised by what Naminé was doing—she charged forward, thin and moveable sword drawn. The black light was emitting off the dagger Naminé had stabbed the spell with, and as she met Korin's sword with the unaffected dagger, she twirled the blackened one toward Korin's face, and the spell re-erupted from Naminé's weapon. Surprised, it knocked Korin in the chest, sending her backward so far that the spell could have been a wrecking ball, demolishing her like an ancient, abandoned building. She slid on her back for a good ten feet, but was surprisingly quick to recover. Naminé had barely had a moment to congratulate herself before Korin was at it again, sending spell after spell at Naminé while she ran forth to meet her.

Naminé's shield was sufficient to stop the small distractions Korin was casting, and her daggers became bright with white light, little charges of static visible around them. She flipped them around in her hands eagerly as she took off running, anxious to meet another chance to be rid of Korin…

Just as she was within reach, Naminé sent the spell from the first dagger right into Korin's face, and connected with Korin's sword with the second, releasing the white light down the shiny metal, through the hilt, and into Korin's body. The first spell was deflected, and she seemed unaffected by the second. Korin ripped through Naminé's stance, her arms feeling strangely weak and spent as she tried to regain position to block Korin's sword strikes. Her daggers readily met Korin's sword, clanging again and again as each girl tried to gain the upper hand.

"You'll never win," Korin growled as Naminé suddenly went on the offensive with an attempted stab at Korin's side.

"Depends on who is fighting!" Naminé responded between dagger strokes, straining every muscle, urging her body for more speed, more power…

"You're right; if my boss enters the fight, you will die," Korin whispered, a maniacal grin spread across her face as her eyes, shining and hungry for revenge, met Naminé's red pupils unabashedly.

"You know," Naminé mused, striking faster and faster, "I don't think I meant your side."

Korin was pissed. Immediately after she had said it, Naminé knew it was wrong. Korin was coming at her with ferocity like Naminé hadn't seen since the night of Roxas' almost-murder. Her eyes were wide and her hair was flying as she swung like a maniac, wishing nothing more than for the decapitation of the blonde nuisance she had loathed for so long. Fear she used to feel when the red in Naminé's eyes would ignite was no more—a thirst to make sure the eyes never shined red again had replaced that fear long ago. To Korin, Naminé wasn't that heroic warrior that had saved Roxas' life… she was the obnoxious and troublesome little girl that had managed to harness magic beyond her abilities to force Korin to retreat.

Nobody played that part in Korin's life and lived to tell about it; especially not a puny little girl like Naminé.

* * *

Riku hadn't made any gains on Zexion since Yuri had helped him. He had mentally thanked her, which of course prompted both Roxas and Sora to check in on Riku and find out what had happened while they were fighting. Kairi checked in, announcing that she was perfectly fine, while Sora, who was fighting near Cloud and Leon, notified Riku that they were all still in perfect healt, while Roxas had affirmed he and Naminé's safety, though they were having trouble keeping Korin from interfering with other fights around the battlefield. She was just too quick to subdue. 

Across the field, Axel, Akiko, and their witches seemed to be doing quite a bit of damage to the lower ranks of the Adherence—so far, they had lost about a quarter of their numbers, with more falling victim to their ridiculous magic abilities with each minute. The defense of the castle, as far as Riku was concerned, was going quite well. Even if they failed to keep the Adherence away long enough, the magical spell around the castle would take them quite awhile to break… enough time for him and his friends to come up with another plan.

Zexion began another relentless assault, and Riku's legs screamed with the strain of pushing against Zexion yet again. If he was to the point of exhaustion already, he wondered, how must Zexion be faring? He blocked another of Zexion's shots with his keyblade, and quickly freed one of his hands, sending a spell straight for Zexion's gut. He missed wide, and instead swung his keyblade for the same area. Zexion had trouble blocking it, but managed to get away with another save. Growling angrily, Riku gritted his teeth and used every sword move he could think of. It seemed Zexion was just as well trained as he—he perfectly blocked every single one with an unexpected intensity looming behind his movements. Perhaps he had realized that Riku really wouldn't give up until he was dead…

A warning from Naminé was suddenly going off in Riku's head as Yuri had suddenly screamed in both their network of magic and out loud. It only took Riku a moment to spot what had happened—suddenly enraged, he let out a wild yell of frustration as he stabbed his keyblade through Zexion, who had also been distracted by Yuri's scream, in an extreme and uncontrollable surge of grief. He removed it immediately and turned, sprinting for Yuri, praying to get to her before she fell…

* * *

Yuri's battle with Hana had done nothing but intensify. As they quickened their pace, almost dancing around the battlefield with hit after hit, block after block, Hana was almost crying as she asked Yuri, voice cracking, "Why do you love him so much?" 

Her katana connected with Hana's unexpectedly roughly, the smooth blades sliding against each other before coming to a stop as both girls pushed with all their strength to conquer the impasse. "You have no right to know," Yuri hissed in response, putting all of her body weight into it despite the aching.

Her response didn't seem to ruffle Hana. "Does he love you?"

Yuri felt a tear of frustration slide down her dusty, bruised cheek as her muscles prepared to give against Hana's force. "I hope so," she whispered, meeting Hana's eyes unwillingly. She hadn't expected the sadness, the loneliness that she knew would be there to affect her so sharply, but before she knew it, she was feeling sorry for Hana.

She could feel Hana's strength waning, and her own began to slacken, as well… as though they could both feel a truce coming… as though both felt the fight wasn't even worth it anymore…

Before Hana and Yuri could move another inch, something shining and silver flew across the battlefield, coming from, where else, Korin's direction. She heard Naminé's warning too late. Yuri felt it sink in to her chest before she even noticed it coming—she had been too wrapped up in Hana's actions. She screamed as she sank to her knees. As blood slowly began to drip down Yuri's front while the handle of the knife stuck eerily out of her sternum, Hana stared around fearfully, eyes combing for the source. She saw Naminé on the ground, Korin having overcome her for a moment, which was more than enough time to send a knife in the Queen's direction. Hana felt the power building up in Korin's hands—the black spell that sounded like a whip was suddenly sent at the kneeling Yuri, rocketing across the grass straight toward the fallen Queen.

For a moment that felt like it took hours, Hana deliberated—which was more important? Saving herself, or saving the woman Riku loved?

She dove forward, grabbing the injured Yuri in her arms, and just as Korin's spell approached, both disappeared.

* * *

Riku stood, angrier than anybody had ever seen him, in the spot where Yuri had just knelt, where her blood had stained the grass… where the hell had Hana taken her? Why had Hana taken her? More importantly, was she alive? 

"_We'd all feel it if she'd died_," Kairi had assured him, though she had failed to restrict the air of panic in her own voice. "_Find Yuffie and go with her to locate Yuri, now_!"

"_Nam_," Riku called out magically. "_Nam, have you seen Yuffie_?"

"_No_," she replied abruptly. Riku looked toward her—she was struggling with Korin, while Roxas was nearby, conquering yet another foe Korin had thrown at him. Riku watched him finish taking down the foe, and began to search the battlefield for sign of Yuffie.

* * *

"Yuri," Hana was urging loudly, pressing the wound carefully with a linen compress she had found in the infirmary of the castle. She had quickly raided the hospital area, and then barricaded herself and Yuri in the basement storage area of it. Surrounded by antibacterial cleansers and other non-magic medicinal products, Yuri was laying on a pile of blankets Hana had pulled out, white-faced and eyes shut, her clothing sliced open by Hana in order to get at the injury. It was just below her large sternum bone. Thankfully, it couldn't reach her heart, but her lungs were at risk to get punctured. "Yuri, please, I need you to use that magic of yours that Korin gripes about and tell your friends that you're okay. Please, Yuri, tell them you're okay!" 

Yuri's head lolled to the side unwillingly; she was completely speechless. She pressed her lips together, which Hana took to mean that she was concentrating, and she felt feeble magic building up in Yuri's mind.

* * *

"_I'm fine_." 

Riku shook his head as the weak message arrived, eyes widening in disbelief. Could it really be Yuri?

"_Are you really_?" he demanded. "_Where has Hana taken you_?"

"_Hospital wing_," came the weak, soft reply. Euphoric, Riku ran back to the battle, willing to slaughter each and every Adherence member if it meant he got to see Yuri again. He fought harder than ever before, winning battles left and right, making the skilled fighters of the Adherence look like amateurs. The sooner the fight was over, the sooner he could be with her, take care of her…

* * *

Korin was furious with the departure of Hana. One of her best friends and most trusted organization members was gone, off to share secrets with the enemy. Her fight with Roxas and Naminé went downhill from there, and Riku's rampage was taking a toll on her troops—he, Cloud, Leon, and the witches were ravaging the Adherence so badly that they were leaving with one-third of their numbers killed. Aerith had done a good number on Tomoko, leaving her fallen, as well. Before Naminé could take any measures to ensure that Korin couldn't teleport away, she was calling her troops back, pulling back… retreating…

* * *

Yuri's eyes were open, but she couldn't sit up, couldn't move, could barely think… Suddenly, something unmistakable and distinct caught her eye. 

"Hana… why is your hair turning brown?"

It was true—most of the platinum blonde hair had been replaced by a mousy brown, and slowly, her white and terrible skin was becoming softer, less intense… more normal colored…

"I have fully betrayed the stipulations of my contract with the Adherence…" she sounded ashamed. "Therefore, my features return to what they were before I ever signed on." She tried to camouflage it, but even an injured Yuri noticed the tears drip down Hana's cheeks.

Yuri closed her eyes again. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

* * *

I hope that was good? XD Anyway, the death toll is already mounting. Zexion, Tomoko, and a third of the Adherence's troops. 

Who's next? Read chapter 21 to find out :D

Thanks for reading, and remember to review!

Lulala


	21. Plans

Well. Lulala is a busy bee. XD It's been a long while, much longer than I had hoped it would be, and it would take a very long time to explain the numerous time constraints I have been recently facing. So I will not. XD Special thank you to the specific reader that pushed me up to 200 reviews. Let's make it a higher number still, folks!

But! This is THE LONGEST Sincerely, Nobody chapter... in fact, the longest chapter I have EVER posted.

Have fun. :D

* * *

The battle was decisively finished. Korin had taken her troops and fled, though it wasn't without considerable damage. She had lost two high-ranking officers in Tomoko and Hana, as well as a good third of her numbers. When she arrived back to the Adherence's base, hidden deep under the Rising Falls, she expected to get an earful from her boss. Her failure was unexpected, and quite frankly, impossible. An army was at her command, with skilled fighters and powerful individuals backing her. How had she lost?

What was worse, she had so very nearly killed the Queen… if only she had thought to take out Hana, the nefariously plotting, filthy little traitor… The tide of the battle had changed so quickly, Korin hadn't even realized the severity of her decision to remain engaged in battle after the attempt on Yuri's life. One thing was for sure—they had a lot more power, and a lot more drive to kill than Korin had originally allotted them.

The army had returned swiftly to the base through teleportation, and Korin took care to ensure that Naminé would not be able to trace their magic and discover them. As she had expected, Korin was immediately summoned to the boss's chambers, while the rest of the Adherence licked their wounds in the great chamber which was used for the mess hall. The best healers were working on all who had fallen injured that they had managed to recover, and members were still discreetly returning to the battlefield to claim more injured survivors. Surprisingly, a large amount Korin's cold-hearted cohorts were weeping over friends that had been killed, and many were embracing sadly. She walked past the scene without any emotion cracking her tough, steeled face. Deep within the caves they had created lay the boss's chambers, and it would be a long and quiet walk.

Her feet made soft noises against the cool stone floor as she moved swiftly down the tunnel, keeping her eyes firmly fixated ahead. She stared daggers at the images that taunted her—Naminé's look of sheer triumph as Korin retreated… Riku and his friends' slaughter of so many… the rising and falling of Yuri's chest, indicating that she still lived… Hana's backstabbing betrayal…

It was too much. Her knees quivered in her strong stride, while her face minimally softened and her breathing grew nervous and quick. She hastened to pull herself together—imagine, _quivering knees_ in the presence of her boss—knowing that no matter what she did, she was about to be ripped apart again. If she were ordinary, she might have clutched at the wall and cried until her eyes were completely dried out, her face red as summer cherries, and eyes swollen and puffy. In fact, she would have liked to. The unfortunate truth was that Korin wasn't normal, and a reaction like that would be simply unacceptable.

She had been alone with her thoughts for far too long, and the sight of the boss's door caught her off guard. Closing her eyes in a harsh manner, she inhaled sharply, and exhaled, willing her knees to be still. Dirt still coated her face, and her hair was still limp and hanging unpleasantly around her face, but there was nothing she could do. She ran her fingers through the ruined black curls, looking dejected, and when she was positive her awkward breathing and shaky knees wouldn't betray her, she rapped hesitantly on the door.

The reply she received was unexpected—the door swung open of its own accord. Taking another deep breath, she stepped through the door and crossed the threshold into an enormous office, decorated completely in black and white. Shelves all around her were piled with books, and three white tables off to her right were completely strewn with maps of Hollow Bastion, red marks and arrows coloring them, and gold stars marking areas that were already in their control glinting in the faint light emitting from a nearby fireplace.

Sure enough, the boss was perched at her enormous white desk, her hands clasped together, knuckles stretched white, and her lips pursed. One of her eyebrows was positioned in such a way that Korin could already see and sense her agitation. Her skin, paler than any Korin had seen, made her look even more dangerous than any other Adherence member. Her strangely styled, messy hair was bleached blonde on the top with a layer of black beneath, and her haunting black eyes seemed to bore into Korin's skull. She was quite thin, which gave her face almost the appearance of gauntness, but the visible shapes of muscles situated on her twiggy arms seemed to quell any doubts about her strength. They weren't enormous, but something about her was still terrifyingly intimidating. Perhaps it was her perfect posture, stiff as a board; or perhaps the way she tilted her head in a way that automatically communicated her power. She was beautiful, and it was frightening.

"Ran," Korin nodded, bowing her head in respect. "So glad to see you're well."

For a moment, the boss, 'Ran', sat without acknowledgment of Korin's greeting. Her hardened expression made Korin want to give way to her emotions again, but she could not. At last, Ran spoke. "I'm very disappointed to see that the army I trusted you with is not well." Korin flinched as her ebony eyes grew more intense in her increasing anger. "Can you tell me why that is, Korin?" she finished softly, expression still unbreakable. The softness of her voice, Korin knew, was a ruse… she was not looking forward to what it would sound like when it became worse…

Korin bowed her head again. "It seems we have both grievously underestimated the power of those who would oppose us," she carefully responded, raising her eyes to meet Ran's chilling features.

Again, for an excruciatingly long moment, Ran held her tongue, face slightly contorted in what may have been an impression of thoughtfulness. Korin knew the tension was already mounting, and one misstep would cost not only her job, but likely her life, as well. "And what of our allies?" Ran asked, voice now bordering shouting. "What of them!" Now screaming, it sounded like Ran's throat might tear.

Korin stood as steadfast as she was able, the vibrations of Ran's screams still knocking around her eardrums. "It greatly pains me to inform you that Tomoko has died, and Hana has deserted us." She braced herself as she waited for the reply.

Strangely, Ran did not seem bothered by that. She brushed her bangs from her face, and easily said, "Yes, Tomoko was quite as inept as I feared, apparently, and Hana is no loss to us. There is nothing she can reveal to them that we will not be ready for. It is not either of those losses that concern me. Would you like to know what concerns me, Korin?" She cocked an eyebrow, inviting a challenge.

Korin couldn't find her voice, and merely nodded.

"What concerns _me_," her voice rose, "is the loss of _numbers_, Korin! You stood by and permitted one third of my army to be slaughtered, and I don't think you understand exactly what that loss means to us." Slapping her palm on the desk for emphasis, the anger hovered behind her black eyes, willing to explode.

"Of course I do, and it is a terrible loss indeed," Korin said quickly, just for the sake of it. She felt no true remorse for any that had died, although Tomoko had been closest to her heart of anyone. Yes, perhaps she would miss Tomoko a bit. Maybe, she would miss her a great deal.

Disgust puckered Ran's features. "Korin, clearly you do not. You do not understand that we now are short people to cover the places we have already taken. No, I don't think you realize how crucial those numbers were to us. We will have to wait for a very long time before we try again, and I am convinced that you shall fully take the blame for that." Her tone was as unforgiving and merciless as the depths of her bitter, icy eyes.

Korin bowed her head a third time. "I humbly request your forgiveness."

"As always, you shall have it, Korin," Ran sighed in an unusual moment of near-weakness. "I do realize the delicateness of this situation, and at least one small victory has come from this—we have rid ourselves of that vermin, Zexion," she looked slightly pleased at that. "I did not expect him to be of much help, and clearly, he was not. The fact still remains, though—we must eliminate the Queen's warriors. Surely, you know that?"

Teeth gritted, Korin fiercely replied, "Nothing would please me more than to see Naminé and her friends gone."

"Good," Ran smirked in wide, Cheshire-cat manner. "I shall not forget your folly, Korin, but I must trust you—you're one of the few I feel I can, despite your mistakes. We may have failed once, but we shall not again. I am named Ran for a reason—the name means chaos—and the dingbats holed up in the castle will soon see the chaos I can cause."

Confidence to look Ran in the face again flooded through Korin, and she happily hurried across the room to join Ran at her desk, where the plotting would begin.

* * *

They all huddled around Yuri, each insane with their own worry. Loss of the Queen would be tragic indeed, and with no heir or successor named, the fight for who should inherit the crown would be an added issue, rank with turmoil, that the world could really do without at the moment. Hana was still knelt next to Yuri, head bowed as she silently brushed the injury with magical disinfectant. With an inch of movement from Yuri, her concerned friends exploded with noise, calling her name, begging her consciousness…

Ironically, Riku knelt with her head in his knees, the same way she had held his head in hers after his injury. He softly brushed his fingers in a gentle, circular motion on her pale forehead, though she was again unconscious and couldn't acknowledge the gesture. Her breathing came slow, while Naminé and Kairi both clutched her hands tightly. Sora and Roxas looked on, expressions lined with worry and anxiety. The bleeding had stopped, which had definitely reduced the hysteria, though only marginally. As Yuri began to move, silence fell.

Her eyes opened rather abruptly, and of course, her gaze immediately traveled to the form she knew to be Riku. The sight of his intense eyes brought her back to reality—all of reality. The reality of the pain in her chest, her tired, burning lungs, and her throbbing head. Softness of something stroking her forehead soothingly barely made it through all the pain. She winced as she tried taking a deeper breath, and immediately felt Riku tense up with concern. After a moment, her vision was finally clear again, and she could see that Riku was the one stroking her forehead.

"Thank you," she breathed, closing her eyes slowly. She exhaled, relishing how wonderful it felt. Staggering pain in her head was slowly subsiding, and the more time that passed, the better it felt, and the more distinct Riku's touch became. All of her friends were crowded around, and she resisted the urge to chuckle—they were all sweaty, bloody, and filthy. Certainly, she looked no better with a huge gash down her chest, but there was something hilarious about Naminé looking unclean. Sora had the beginnings of a black eye, and Riku's hair, for once, wasn't perfect—also comical.

Hana didn't waste any time making suggestions. "We should probably find the rest of your friends and have a meeting or something… I feel like there's a lot I should say." Her discomfort was tangible. The uncertain expression on her typically hard and merciless face looked out of place. Hana was always confident, and never grew nervous about anything. Then again, with skin the color of a normal human, and hair a soft brown as opposed to violent platinum, it was certainly tough to look terrifying. At least now she was much easier to behold—her black eyes were long gone, replaced by deep, captivating forest green.

Riku shrugged her off. "Let's stay with Yuri for awhile, at least! Calm down; we've already won today." He continued to comfort Yuri, taking a cool cloth that Kairi had brought and beginning to slowly clean the dirt off her face. A small smile spread across her face, soft yet pronounced. Clearly, she was glad to be at last getting cleaned up.

Hana tried a glare, but with her new looks, it didn't have even half the effect it had before. "Their retribution will come faster than you expect," she warned, crossing her arms defiantly. "We need a plan, immediately."

Naminé gave Hana a look, which she interpreted to mean, 'calm down'. Grudgingly, she obeyed, and backed off while Yuri was fussed over.

It took a bit of time, but after Yuri's consciousness was stable enough to move her, Riku gingerly lifted her, careful as could be, and carried her in the sturdy cradle of his arms all the way to a large spare bedroom near the tower that housed the five warriors, where a meeting to determine their course of action could be held.

Leon, Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Axel, and Akiko were all present already, leaning against various portions of wall or seated on extra furniture. The large canopy bed, fitted with sheets and blankets of emerald green, was plush and inviting to Yuri's exhausted, broken body. Riku set her down with the caution he may have handled a porcelain doll with. Easily, her head sank back into the feathered pillows, and Riku seated himself next to her, placing her hand in his for support. Everyone looked a bit worse for the wear, as Yuri had noted before, but there really was no time to delay.

"Hana," Aerith nodded toward her, smiling warmly. "Welcome."

She didn't raise her eyes to meet Aerith's—they were firmly fixated on the floor, the idea that she was an outsider locked in her mind. "I'll tell you what you'd like," Hana offered quietly, wincing slightly as though the thought of revealing her former leader pained her.

Leon stood to his full height. "Hana, you saved Yuri's life. You don't owe us a thing," he assured her, sincerity irresistible.

They all looked on as Hana struggled to meet their gazes, as well as to find her words. "Um…" she began uncertainly. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she continued, "Well, I'd be glad to help… and do what I can…"

"We need to find out…" Yuri grimaced, placing her hand on her gauze-covered wound. The shock of hearing her weak, minute voice had left the air completely silent. Doubts as to whether anybody was breathing were quickly formed as the unnaturalness of such perfect silence begged another word from the injured Queen. "Where their power is… how they keep their power…"

"Easy!" Hana immediately responded, looking up for the first time. It seemed the tension she had felt had completely disappeared. "You guys honestly hadn't figured that out yet?"

Riku, slightly taken aback by the brightness in her skin and excitement in her eyes, blinked slowly in an attempt to clear his head. "We haven't had a lot of time to research you guys, if you haven't noticed," he replied shortly, squeezing Yuri's hand tighter as she gave him a weak, disapproving look.

Hana responded with a glare. Folding her arms and staring straight through Riku, she snapped, "Well, sorry! I thought maybe you had stumbled across it accidentally or something."

"Anyway," Naminé interrupted, holding a reprimanding hand out in Riku's direction to prevent him from replying, "continue. We'd love for you to shed some light on this whole mystery."

With one more disdainful look at Riku, Hana shook her hair from her face as if to proclaim victory, and took a deep breath. "Well, to be honest…" she bit her lip. "We maintain areas we win by using magic spheres. Typically, we plant them somewhere in the towns we have taken over, and they suck all the magic around dry, except for the deep Hollow Bastion magic that many of you can utilize."

"So the magic you were all using was stolen," Sora thought aloud, eyebrows knitted together in concern. It was obvious that the idea of being attacked with magic from his own land deeply bothered him in his severe expression. "Is that where all your power came from?"

Hana raised an eyebrow. "All of it? Originally, no, but since coming here, they rely on it very heavily. As you can probably guess, it's been useful."

Sora looked even more violated at that, and covered his mouth with his knuckles, unwilling to speak anymore. "I'm going to guess that we'll need to get rid of those before we can make any gains toward your boss, am I correct?" Naminé asked, glancing quickly toward Yuri and back again. Surely, Yuri would have to stay behind—she was in no condition to fight, not to mention putting her in that sort of danger again would be foolish indeed.

Hana fidgeted for a moment, mulling the question over. "I would say… probably," she hesitated. "I don't think… yeah… I don't think you'd have a clear shot at Ran until you do."

"Ran?" Kairi looked confused.

"Ran," Hana affirmed, nodding. "The leader of the Adherence."

"So… we have to kill her." Roxas didn't sound at all thrilled with the idea. He dropped his eyes to the ground, guilt over who he had killed that day already rearing its ugly head.

Looking pained, Hana nodded. "I'm sorry… but she really is scary."

Riku shrugged. "We do what we have to." His rampage hadn't seemed to take a toll on his conscience yet—that would come later, and he would regret his moment of strength, as he always did.

"How do we go about finding these spheres?" Naminé questioned, watching Roxas from across the room worriedly. She tried to keep her attention strictly on Hana, but she could tell he was immensely bothered.

"I was thinking about that, actually…" Hana began. "The plan, I would say, would be to split up. Like I said, their revenge will be swift—it is likely they will kill civilians as repayment for those they have lost."

"Split up?" Riku interjected. "Absurd."

"Hear me out," Hana requested, again looking resentful of Riku. If only he realized what had gone through her mind before she saved Yuri. Maybe he'd be whistling a different tune. He should be thanking her! "Groups of two will go out and defend the people at major towns. While you're keeping the people safe, find the spheres. I know for a fact that there are seven of them, one of which is on a chain around Ran's neck."

"The best idea, then," Cloud unexpectedly spoke up, "is to have some groups concentrate on defending, and others concentrate on searching."

"He means that it's not a good idea to have everyone trying to do everything at once," Tifa filled in quickly.

"Agreed," Naminé nodded. "So, heavy hitters will be focusing on defending, and the rest of us will hunt."

"We're splitting up already?" Riku questioned angrily. "Naminé, you can't be serious!"

"Riku," she said calmly, "it really is the only way. We need to get out there and protect the people before something happens to them. It's what Yuri would want."

He quickly turned to where she lay, still looking completely spent. "Trust her judgment, Riku," Yuri struggled quietly. "If… if Korin had killed… me… I'd want Naminé in charge."

Kairi, who had been silently sitting in a chair next to Sora, suddenly stood up, fists clenched. "I'll stay behind with Yuri!" she declared. "I can watch what all of you are doing with my vision, and take care of her. Someone should… I want to."

A grin spread across Naminé's face. "You're sweet, Kairi," she said, others nodding in agreement. It seemed the only person who had anything negative to say at all was Yuri.

"No," she muttered angrily. "I'm not staying behind… not… not when my people need me." She tried to sit up, but Riku was too quick—a well-placed, enormous hand on her shoulder was enough to set her back onto the pillows.

"Lay down," Riku insisted. "And you're not coming out again, not after what happened last time." His resolution was so firm that nobody dared argue.

Except Yuri. "Riku, you're not the boss of me," she said shakily, again trying to sit up and being buffered by Riku. Gathering a more firm voice, she continued, "You're not. You can't tell me what to do, I'm the Queen, if you haven't noticed."

"That's irrelevant," he pointed out coolly, keeping his hand on her shoulder to prevent her from sitting up. "You need time to heal. You received an almost fatal wound today. Give yourself at least a week to return to full health before you talk about any sort of fighting at all."

"How about," Naminé piped up, unwilling to see Riku and Yuri get into an argument, "she heals, and then joins us. We'll shuffle the groups around, she can be in a group with two others for extra protection."

"My group," Riku offered. "I'd like to have her with me."

"Fine," Yuri relented angrily, folding her arms and pouting.

"Okay," Naminé nodded, mind flying in to overdrive as she organized groups in her head. "So, Riku and Hana will go together, making up one of the searching groups."

Both Riku and Hana's mouths dropped open in surprise, and they both simultaneously began to protest.

"But—"

"Nam, you can't be—"

"I'm serious," she cut them off sternly. "Hana will be very effective with locating them, and… just think about it. You'll be a great team. Yuri can join you after she's feeling better."

Neither found arguing to be prudent, and Naminé continued, "Roxas will come with me, and we'll be another searching party."

He looked slightly happier at that, offering her a small, subtle smile. Blushing a little, she said, "Sora, you'll go with Yuffie. Kairi can join up with you guys after Yuri is better. Cloud and Tifa, you'll be together, and Leon, you can go with Aerith. Axel, that leaves you and Akiko. All of you will be mainly in charge of defending our people, though I'd like you, Akiko, to keep your eyes peeled for senses of the spheres, as well, if you can."

"I can," she replied confidently.

"We'll all be fanning out, then?" Leon asked.

"Exactly," Naminé affirmed. "I'll give you all maps—I'll need to go to the library and locate them—of the world, as well as of the specific regions I want you all in charge of."

"What about communication?" Aerith asked. "I mean…" she hesitated, trying to find the right words. "You all have your… inner communication stuff, but the rest of us don't."

"Right," Naminé said, "we do have that. I was thinking some sort of magical radio. I'll check if we have some—"

"I'm on it," Sora jumped up, and hurried from the room.

"Okay," she said, "get together with your partner and get whatever you need packed. Get cleaned up. You have half an hour."

* * *

Well. That was long. XD Next chapter, the _real_ battle for Hollow Bastion begins.

Thanks for reading, please review!

Lulala


	22. Zones

Well. XD

I've been struggling with writer's block, the worst I've ever had it. This chapter was a struggle. It's short, but I think we can get the ball rolling again. Finally, right? XD

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, as well as everyone who added this to their favorites/alert list. THANK YOU, so very much. :D Read on, for I've made you wait far too long for this.

* * *

Stress was attempting to force its way inside Naminé's head; to make her nervous, drive her crazy. She buffered each attempt as she searched her small bathroom for a fresh bar of soap. The grime and dirt coating her skin and hair was more than she could bear, and she needed a long, steamy shower more than anything.

Luckily, she at last unearthed a bar of what had been her favorite soap years ago, and started up the shower, feeling instant relief as she climbed in. The warm, fragrant fumes soothed her mind, and it easily wandered… and she was thinking of being a leader. An image of her giving orders, as she had been minutes ago, entered her mind, and she almost blushed with embarrassment. The old Naminé… the Earth Naminé… definitely would have. How had she changed so much since arriving in Hollow Bastion? She was never a leader on Earth—no, far from it. Then again, wasn't it her mousy, easily stepped on personality on Earth that had made her desperately wish to be more outspoken?

_So, Earth had everything to do with it_, she thought, elated at the fact that her skin was visibly white again. _Earth has affected all of us._ Riku wasn't nearly as heartless as he was before they left—he had admitted to Naminé's face that he loved Yuri. Sora was more focused than she had ever seen him, and Roxas was… well… completely different.

She smiled as she thought of him. He had been brave enough to tell her how he felt, and nothing had ever made her so happy. Dreamlike thoughts of being with Roxas after everything was over clouded her ordinarily completely rational mind, and she sincerely loved what she saw. The absence of background behind her inner images of herself and Roxas caught her attention, and she had a disturbing notion—where would they go when everything was finished? Would they remain in Hollow Bastion, or would they return to Earth, where they rightfully now belonged? Despite everything they had left behind on Earth, she almost shuddered at the thought of returning. Something about Hollow Bastion made her feel more at home there than she ever had on Earth.

Ignoring the thought, for now, was easier than it should have been. Frankly, she had more pressing matters to attend to. She climbed out of the shower, and wrapped herself in a white robe hanging from a hook on the back of the door. Finding clothes was getting harder and harder without using magic—nothing she had in her closet seemed practical for the project she had to attend to. They had, however, discovered the meaning of all the extremely light fabrics—they were noiseless, and made sneaking much easier. Nothing they had available to wear was something that would restrict movement, either, which was a definite advantage to donning the cotton clothes. She conjured up a pair of dark brown pants and a loose tan short-sleeved shirt. Being ambiguous was important, and blending in with villagers as much as possible was desirable. An Adherence member would likely know her face, but doing what they could was a necessary precaution.

In minutes, she had a bag packed, and, slinging it over her shoulder, performed a quick teleportation spell to get herself to the map archives in the library. She had a lot of work to do, and a very short amount of time in which to complete it.

* * *

"I can't believe she partnered me with you," Riku grumbled, looking uncharacteristically grim. "It's a complete…"

"Outrage?" Hana offered wryly. "Believe me, if you think you're the only unhappy one here, think again." She scowled for effect.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It was nice of Yuri to give you this bag full of stuff, though. You should probably go tell her thank you."

"Already have," she immediately replied. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "You aren't suggesting I'm ungrateful, surely? Because it's not my fault if you're just exceptionally unobservant."

He glared harshly. "No, I'm not suggesting that," he answered snappishly. "And I'm not unobservant! You're just—"

"Play nice, kiddies," Sora suggested loudly, hiding his smirking mouth behind hand as he watched, entertained.

"Shut up, Sora," Riku rounded on him, clearly not amused.

"Seriously, Riku, it's not a big deal," Kairi piped up, camouflaging a giggle as a cough. "You guys will go out there and kick butt together, end of story."

Visibly annoyed, he shortly retorted, "Fine. Whatever."

"Riku!" Yuri, lying on the bed, called his name. Her voice had lost the weakness caused by the wound, and she seemed more alert than she had since it happened.

He didn't even reply—he was at her side before she had the chance to beckon him over to her. "Do you need something?" he asked gently. "Are you—"

"I'm fine, Riku," she cut him off. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute before you guys have to leave…"

He couldn't resist smiling a little. "Don't worry about us, please. We'll be perfectly fine."

She hesitated. "I'll worry anyway… I just want you guys to be safe. And I'd really like it if you tried a little harder to be nicer to Hana. She saved my life, Riku."

His shoulders sagged in defeat, and he didn't bother to argue. "I'll try," he promised her, brushing a lock of hair from her face affectionately. "And I won't die. I can promise you that one for certain."

She smiled a little. "I'd love it if you didn't before I get a chance to come and protect you."

"You, protect me?" he chuckled. "Think what you want."

"I'm always right," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

He looked up at the ceiling, fighting a smile, but again declined to argue.

"Just don't die, okay, Riku?" she smirked, the gesture softly pronounced in her cheeks, but in her eyes, Riku could see the true meaning of her words. She was more serious than he would probably ever understand. "Treat Hana well, she deserves it."

"Fine, fine," he relented with a resigned sigh. "I'll do what I can."

She gave him a stern glance.

He grinned sheepishly. "What?"

She giggled. "Get over there with Hana, Riku. Don't forget, I'll know if you're misbehaving. I can hear the messages you're sending to others, and Kairi will be watching you…"

He rolled his eyes as they glinted mockingly. "Take care of yourself, Yuri. Remember, I can hear your messages, too."

The look she gave him as he turned away made him simultaneously want to laugh and broke his heart. Leaving her was hard, but not leaving her would be much, much harder… for everyone. It was right that Kairi stay—her power was almost exactly specific to the task. Everyone needed him—and, sadly, Hana as well—to help destroy the spheres and set everything right again.

* * *

As Roxas re-packed his bag, his mind was wandering amongst the clouds. Thoughts of the lives he had taken and would continue to take couldn't touch him, and the only face he saw was Naminé's. Had he been a fool for telling her what he honestly felt? Maybe… but her response was something that caught him completely and utterly off guard. The thought that she could feel the same way… it had never crossed his mind before…

A vivid, precise picture of her expression just before he had told her still remained cemented in his mind. On Earth, Naminé often looked vulnerable and upset like that, but since arriving in Hollow Bastion, Roxas had not seen her toughened exterior so damaged. She had perfectly stepped into the role of the leader, and the change he had seen in her was so great, she seemed like a different girl… and yet, the affection he held for her had not changed at all. Something about Naminé was simply… magical.

It was easy for him to quickly become immersed in his thoughts. As he absently threw random clothing into his bag, despite the fact that he doubted he'd have time to change without the use of magic, the color of her eyes came to mind, and he was completely distracted by the simple thought of it.

_I wonder what she'll do when we're alone_, Roxas pondered, amused by images conjured up by his imagination. Naminé acting embarrassed was one of the most hilarious things he had ever seen. One thing was for sure—he finally understood how Riku felt when Yuri was in danger. If Korin came anywhere near Naminé again… there would be hell to pay. Roxas' "helper-power", as Naminé liked to call them, hadn't returned yet, but he was certain that in a situation like that, whatever it was would reappear.

* * *

At last, Sora had dug up what he had been searching for. It had taken twenty minutes in a dusty, disgusting storage room filled with old gadgets and things that were hardly used for him to find the case filled with brand new wireless walkie-talkies. He fervently prayed that Kairi was packing his things like he asked… he was lucky to have found these at all. When they had discovered their magical connection years ago, they had ditched these in favor of something a little bit less faulty, but these had never been used. Hopefully, they'd get the job done, and even if they didn't work, the warriors could still communicate.

In fact, even with the walkies, all of them would leave their minds on the magic frequency, mainly for Yuri and Kairi's benefit, but also to ensure that if anybody was hurt, they would know immediately, and response would be swift. The last thing they needed was another casualty.

* * *

Everyone had their things together and reassembled in the main hall of the castle within the time allotted by Naminé. Nervous anticipation in the air was tangible as Leon made sure Aerith's bag was fastened correctly, Sora quickly demonstrated how the walkie talkies were operated, and Naminé quickly instructed which zone of Hollow Bastion each team should be covering. Sora, Yuffie, and Kairi, when she joined them, would be covering the Northern region, where villages were furthest apart and would take the longest to reach. Both Yuffie and Kairi relied heavily on strategy, and Naminé had easily resolved that they would be the best team to take on the area where the villages were best protected, as well.

Cloud and Tifa were designated to the Eastern zone, simply because the villages would be much easier to penetrate physically. Yuffie had passed a lot of information on to Naminé from her undercover work, and one fact she had picked up was that for some reason, higher concentrations of magical fighters could be found in the central and southern zones—closest to the castle, of course. It was a no-brainer to assign Akiko and Axel the central and southern zones.

Leon and Aerith made the perfect team to pick up the West—more citizens lived in that zone than in any other, and many of them would need the medical treatment that Aerith could provide. If she was swamped, Naminé or even Akiko could easily swing through and assist her.

Which left the teams of Riku and Hana, and Roxas and Naminé. Both would start in the center of the land, and then divide it into two halves—North and South. Since Yuri would be joining Riku and Hana, they were given the more spacious North, while Roxas and Naminé would cover the South.

Each group was handed a map, instructed very strictly to avoid teleporting at all costs, and, once all walkies had been tested, the teams ran out the castle gates one by one, hoping to reach their region as stealthily as possible.

* * *

"I hate this," Yuffie mumbled. "Hate! You hear me?"

She and Sora were belly-down in the waist-high grasses, crawling slowly, dragging themselves along to avoid being spotted. _Yuffie is complaining already_, Sora whined into the magic network. _It's literally been four hours and she's whining_.

Riku's scowl came back almost audibly. _Yeah, well, trust me, Hana's no walk in the park, either_.

_Quit complaining_, Naminé's voice warned. _Just concentrate on our job, here. Get your butts moving, our world is in danger. And, quit misusing our interlinking magic_.

Sora was tempted by a bitter "or you'll what", but restrained himself. He knew what Naminé was capable of, and, though he was more than confident that she wouldn't ever seriously injure him… he didn't want to risk it. "Sorry," he murmured in reply to Yuffie. "I didn't think this plain was _that_ huge."

"It sucks," she replied flatly. "How many more hours till we're at the first village Naminé marked on the map?"

Sora mentally redrew it, and recalled, "Should actually only be about another forty minutes of this. It's right on the other side."

"Phew, thank god!" she sighed with relief, wiping sweat from her forehead with her arm. "I can't take much more."

* * *

Roxas and Naminé were the last to leave. Hana had given them specific instructions about hunting spheres, but Naminé still felt inexplicably uneasy. The daunting task of locating something she had never seen, heard of, or felt the magical presence of before was sincerely getting to her, and Roxas noticed easily.

"Relax," he suggested as they waited for the go-ahead from Kairi, who was watching Riku and Hana run and determining if their distance was far enough that it was okay for them to leave. His hand found Naminé's, and she found immense comfort in the small gesture. "Everything will be okay," he assured her with a half-smile.

Kairi nodded her head, and, still hand in hand, Roxas and Naminé dashed out the open gate together.

For some reason, the scene between Riku and Yuri is particularly sweet to me. XD

Anyways. NEXT CHAPTER, which will be posted very soon, we have fights, sphere hunting, and the emergence of Korin and Ran's plan. What are those ladies up to? You'll have to read chapter 23 to find out. :D

Thanks for reading, please review!

Lulala


	23. Forgetting Again

Hello!

Now that school is done, I'll have a bit more time to write. Yay! :D Graduation went smoothly and everything is all good again.

This is actually a repost. A glaring error, caught in Hana's dialogue by **Karise-Paisley**, has been rectified (thank you VERY much, by the way), as well as other small changes being made, since I didn't proofread this one very well the first time around. Nothing which impacts the story, of course.

Drop me a review, please. Read on. :D

* * *

"You don't even know how glad I am," Yuffie whispered, "that we're here."

Sora shushed her, his eyes zeroing in on the village, his focus tangible. _Kairi?_

_Yes?_

_Can you see us?_

Silence. _Yes._

_Is it safe to go into the village?_

_There are Adherence members stationed at intervals around the village. Four groups of two. Oh, be careful, Sora!_ Her voice sounded fraught with worry.

"Kairi says there are four groups of two enemies stationed all around the outside of the village," Sora relayed quietly to Yuffie. "What do you think we should—"

"I hate it when you do that," Yuffie interrupted a bit louder than she should have. "Talk to the others in your brain. Why can't you use the walkies?" she whined.

Sora stifled a laugh. "Yuffie… calm down. It's just quieter and a bit faster for communicating with Kairi. Let's talk about how we're going to handle those enemies."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Sora, I'm a ninja. I think that makes me the best assassin here right now."

He couldn't contain his smirk. "Assassin? I don't know if I'd go that far."

If looks could kill, Sora would have been finished then and there. Never had he been on the receiving end of a glare as powerful as Yuffie's. "I suppose you wouldn't say no to a little contest, then," she challenged through gritted teeth. "Eliminate them all. Whoever kills the most is the winner."

With a soft chuckle, Sora slowly shook his head. "No, we'll stay together for now. When this is all over, though, we'll have that competition, okay?"

She set her jaw and remained silent, which Sora took to mean that she wasn't happy about it, but she knew that he was right. "I've got something to ask Naminé first, though. Hang tight for a minute."

_Naminé?_

_Yes, Sora?_ Thankfully, her reply was swift.

_If we pick off the guards here one at a time… will any of them be able to raise an alarm to the others? _It would certainly _not_ be helpful if they had that ability.

_As far as I know, if you're sneaky enough, they shouldn't have time to. I have faith in both you and Yuffie_.

With a grin at Yuffie's pouting, Sora informed her, "We have clearance, let's move."

* * *

"So, you'd have no trouble locating that planet again?" The look on Ran's face was tight and severe—even if Korin thought it impossible, she doubted that she would have answered negatively. Intensity in her eyes, Ran stared at Korin roughly, absolutely demanding an answer.

Almost taken aback, Korin swallowed quickly, momentarily petrified by Ran's glare, and managed to reply confidently, "Yes. With a snap of my fingers."

She didn't smile, but the dynamics in her eyes changed—if her face didn't give away her feelings, that triumphant glint behind the charcoal black did. With a clench of her fist, her knuckles popped, and Korin bit back a cringe. "We can carry out the plan, then," Ran declared determinedly. "They won't guess a thing until it's too late, and I doubt they'll fight. It's the perfect trap."

"I agree completely," Korin smiled winningly. "It's brilliant!"

"I have outdone myself, haven't I?" she contemplated quietly. "Either way, we have them, and there's nothing they can do about it."

Korin bit her lip. 'Nothing' was a bit strong… after all, she had been taken completely off-guard by their will to fight and their drive to kill. Riku had single-handedly disposed of many, while Akiko and her friends could account for many of the others. Cloud and Leon had done their share of damage, as well, but… the only of the heavy-hitters that could follow them where they were going, she supposed, was Riku.

The fighters were independent in nature, as Ran had assured her many times over the past few hours, and they would come alone. Allowing others to stand for them, with them… it was something they simply did not do.

* * *

"I'm really glad you're with me, Roxas," Naminé whispered. It meant a lot that she said it out loud—they were in a high danger area, just miles from the castle, slinking through the trees and coming upon a strange aura she didn't recognize.

The goofy grin that spread across Roxas' face couldn't be subdued. Thankfully, she was focused on the task at hand, and didn't notice. "I can't even… I'm so happy you're here…" he trailed off, murmuring softly in her ear. "You're…"

With a small smile and a blush, she shushed him gently. _Thank you_.

_It's true_, he assured her. _What's the plan_?

_We go into the village, eliminate the guards, and steal the sphere_, she broke it down for him. _We'll follow the aura—can you feel that_?

_Barely_.

She gave him a cheeky, teasing look. _Concentrate_.

He stuck out his tongue at her, but closed his eyes all the same, and inhaled deeply. The scent of the wilderness as they lurked in the woods was almost overpowering. Leaves and budding flowers emitted fragrant perfumes, each distinguished smell mingling into the exact aroma he remembered from years ago. After seventeen years, and after everything had changed… nothing had changed. His mind began to wander aimlessly as he thought of nothing in particular, and at first, he didn't notice the small buzzing against his internal magic. With every moment, the feeling grew more invasive, feeling as though magic that was not his own was infiltrating his body. Momentarily paralyzed, he had no clue how to react. His fists clenched, and his shoulders began to tense up.

Naminé's small hand on his shoulder brought him back to attention. _Are you okay_?

He nodded. _Fine. You're right, all I needed to do was concentrate_…

With the corners of her mouth upturned, she raised a snarky eyebrow, which plainly said, 'I told you so'. She motioned with her hand for him to follow her, and they were sneaking again around the trunks and between the branches. Leaves that filled the treetops were so thick that sunlight couldn't find a way through, but Naminé maneuvered gracefully and silently despite the dimness.

From the edge of the forest, a large village was in sight, and the aura of the sphere was stronger than ever. Naminé and Roxas looked at each other, unsure of the best way to tackle infiltrating the village and locating the sphere.

_Disguise_, Roxas suggested, smiling deviously.

With a grin and a wave of her hand, Naminé and Roxas changed. Her bright blonde hair was replaced by a mousy brown that most citizens had—fear was too great to have blonde or black hair anymore. Roxas' was changed to a similar muddy chocolate, and their clothes, previously in perfect condition, were now tattered and worn. Traditional moccasins finished their disguises, as well as making their skin a bit more tan. Normal peasants typically weren't as pale as either of them.

_Ready_? Even in her head, Naminé was giggling.

Roxas, whose hair was now also significantly longer and heavily tousled, nodded. _We'll go down and see what we can find out_.

They joined hands, and snuck toward the village as the sun began to set.

* * *

"Roxas and Naminé are going into a village in disguise," Riku commented to Hana. For the majority of the day, they had been silent, each unwilling to talk to the other. Riku, bored out of his mind, had spent the majority of his time eavesdropping on the conversations between his friends.

"They're having more luck than us, I suppose?" she asked, an edge of frustration creeping into her tone. Her cheeks were pink with effort as they climbed through the jagged rocks of a cavern they had stumbled across. Riku wanted to pass it without looking inside, but Hana, of course, insisted. Whether that was just to bother Riku or not remained to be seen.

Riku had to restrain himself from snottily reminding her that it had been her idea to enter the cavern. "Maybe we should all be disguised. I'm not sure why that never came up."

_The Adherence can feel magical disguises_, Yuri reminded him. _I assume Roxas and Naminé are planning to eliminate anyone that discovers them_.

_But for traveling among villagers_… Riku trailed off.

_Just fine_, Yuri affirmed. _If you guys do it, be cautious. That goes for everyone_!

"Why are we climbing through here, anyway?"

Hana, who was leading the way, turned to face him in agitation. "I… I don't know. Riku, something is going on…" She furrowed her brow worriedly, and a powerful and abrupt sadness Riku had seen before infiltrated her eyes.

His voice, typically harsh around Hana, suddenly grew soft and caring. "What's wrong?"

She didn't reply. He noticed her beginning to shake, and he swiftly climbed up next to her, using his free arm to maneuver her onto his back. Thankfully, she understood his meaning, and grasped as tightly as she could. "Hana, please… what's wrong?"

"My head," she began quietly. Riku continued climbing, but mainly for something to do. Guilt for treating her so badly was sidling up next to his mind, clamping on, and refusing to let go… he needed something to distract him. Her added weight felt like nothing more than a small backpack—he hadn't realized how thin she had become over the past seventeen years—and he diligently waited for her to continue explaining her plight.

"When we were passing this place, I just got this feeling… this feeling that maybe Korin, Tomoko, and I had been here before… and then I tried to remember places where I knew spheres were hidden, but… I couldn't."

"Are you just… scared, maybe?" he suggested uncertainly. "Scared to help us take down your friends?"

"They're _not_ my friends," she corrected him fiercely. He felt her grasp growing tighter around his neck—a good sign. The strength that had momentarily left her was returning. "I've wanted to be on your side for a very long time. I can remember fuzzy outlines of certain things, but… the more time that goes by, the more things I can't remember."

Riku quickly brushed sweat from his forehead. "You mean… the more things you forget." He braced himself for the reaction he knew was coming.

"I'm NOT forgetting things!" she snapped indignantly.

"Keep forgetting you're holding onto me, and I'll be strangled," he complained, commenting on her suddenly vice-like grip. It immediately loosened, but her anger, it seemed, was just as strong as before.

"I'm NOT!" she repeated angrily. "I can't be forgetting, I mean… that's what you guys do!"

Riku rolled his eyes, and increased his pace, hoping that more physical strain would drown out Hana's voice.

"I don't remember ever being told that we would forget our time in the Adherence…"

"You wouldn't," Riku shot back darkly.

"Maybe we only forget secrets," she thought aloud. "Kind of how I'm starting to forget where headquarters is located, though you guys even know that."

Riku shrugged his shoulders in an offhand way. "Well, if you think about it, I suppose it's logical. Obviously, they wouldn't want you to know that you only have a limited amount of time in which you can divulge their secrets… you know, until you realize you're forgetting everything."

Silence on Hana's end told Riku that she was considering his hypothesis, and most likely finding it to be true. "I always wondered how traitors never did us much damage… this is why."

"This kind of magic is so powerful… kind of makes me wonder when they had time to put it on you," Riku mused.

He could hear her brain whirring, analyzing, searching for a conclusion… Her 'aha' moment came earlier than expected. "When they change us to be pale and when they change our hair… that's when they do it."

"Again, logical," Riku said with a nod. "You wouldn't suspect a thing."

"But I still wonder why I had that weird feeling when we were standing outside the cavern…"

"Simple," Riku said, "there's a sphere here. You don't remember it, but you can feel it, and you know it." He turned around and gave her a look. "Seriously. It doesn't get much more obvious than that."

* * *

The village was quiet. People didn't roam the streets as they used to. Twilight was falling—it was the time when children would be dashing home before the sun set, coming from playing with friends, and when the last adults to finish with their work would hurry through the streets. Restaurants would begin serving the dinner specials, and adults would visit the only bar in town, on the corner of Main Street and Wildflower Way.

It wasn't the same in Westcastle as Naminé remembered. Named for its juxtaposition to the castle, it was Naminé's hometown, and one of the biggest in Hollow Bastion. She had been its protector since the age of fourteen, and was until the Queen needed her and her friends. Since then, she had left Westcastle, moved into the castle, and been treated like royalty. Somehow, as she and Roxas strolled the nearly empty streets, nostalgia hit her harder than she expected, and silly, desperate wishes were firing around in her brain—wishes for the simple days of keeping her neighbors safe, instead of the fate of the whole world depending on her.

Getting in hadn't been easy. She and Roxas didn't want to fight until they had to, and finding the sphere would be easier without an alarm being raised. Any folly of any sort could ruin their chances at getting it. They slipped past the guards, but were forced to use all of their magical know-how to do so. Invisibility spells were draining and could be detected by accomplished magicians, so caution had to be exercised in using one. Naminé analyzed each and every guard, choosing the one with the least extensive magical abilities, and gambled on the spell, doing her best to keep it under control and blinking back the red eyes when Hollow Bastion tried to help her. Luckily, their plan had worked.

"There's nobody," Roxas commented. "This must bother you…"

She nodded, still surveying the empty street. "The bar is probably our best bet…"

Roxas looked suddenly confused. "You don't want to talk about this?"

Naminé stopped walking and turned to face Roxas. Her features were illuminated by a nearby streetlight, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As she turned away, he abruptly saw—she hid them extremely well, but just a glint from the light revealed the tears in her eyes. "No, I don't want to talk about it," she replied, emotionless. "At times like these… I prefer to throw myself into my work."

"If you want to free this place, let's get going," Roxas agreed. "You said the bar?"

"It's just up this way, yeah," Naminé motioned toward the next corner. "I figured maybe some of the villagers know something that could be useful."

"We can only hope," he sighed, holding her hand a bit tighter. He wanted to be there for her, and definitely didn't want to see her in pain. Perhaps coming into Westcastle hadn't been a good idea at all.

The bar was surprisingly full of adults. Many of them seemed bored, and many were conversing about the boredom that was Adherence occupation. Everyone was so scared that nobody had much fun anymore. At first, Naminé and Roxas kept to themselves, ordering sodas and meals to fill their starving stomachs. Snippets of conversations were easy to catch and listen in on, but one man in particular caught Naminé's attention—possibly because he was talking about her.

"People are back to fight for us, they say," he spoke to the two men sitting across the booth from him. "Imagine that! The little blondie, Naminé, running around again."

"There was a fight at the castle, I heard," another man added. "Naminé will return to claim whatever they have hidden in our town."

The villagers knew something was hidden! Naminé immediately got Roxas' attention, and they both focused on the men. "Heard those bad guys put the Queen in a right state," the third man speculated.

"Is she really back?" a nearby woman jumped into the conversation. Naminé could smell skeptic on the woman from where she was sitting. "I just… I don't think it's true."

"Believe it," the second man assured her confidently, taking a swig from his mug. "My pal saw her—remember all the news about the wedding? How could that have been fake?"

"You'd think she'd have a plan of action by now, though," the woman grumbled. "Don't you think we've all suffered long enough?" She certainly looked as though she had suffered—thin, frail, and clothing old and deteriorating.

The second man crossed his arms. "How do you know she hasn't?" he demanded.

"Yes," Naminé spoke up. "If you don't mind my intrusion… how do you know she hasn't?"

"Because I'm still suffering."

"Patience is a virtue," the first man reminded her.

"She became injured, didn't you hear?" Roxas entered the conversation.

"But she's got her supposed fighters at her disposal," the woman argued. "And, where are they? Oh, right—nobody knows."

"I know because I've seen them," Naminé snapped back, getting the sharp look in her eye that Roxas recognized well. As far as he was concerned, the woman had better brace herself, because Naminé was about to come down on her, and hard at that.

"Oh yeah?" the woman challenged. "What's the famous Naminé like, then?"

"From a distance?" she raised her eyebrows. "Short, pale, and blonde, obviously."

"I wouldn't care if they were actually doing something to help us—"

"Ma'am, if I may… they are giving you their everything right now… their honest to goodness everything. There is not much more that they can give, and their lives can't be any more on the line than they already are." She sounded agitated; Roxas commended her for keeping it in check.

The woman wasn't sure how to respond to that, so Naminé turned to the men. "We're travelers, so we don't know much about this area… you mentioned the Adherence hiding something in your village?" Typical Naminé—all business.

"Yeah, we reckon they hid it somewhere in the bank," the third man shrugged. "Nobody bothers to look, since we don't know what it is that we're searching for."

After a long moment, Naminé said, "I think I might."

* * *

Review! The next chapter is also posted, so keep reading! :D

Thank you,

Lulala


	24. Darkness

Hello, all! Finally, I have a chapter ready to be posted! XD

**kingdomheartslover -** the review you left me made me smile very much, and since I could not reply to it, I wanted to say thank you. :D

Thank you very much to all other reviewers from last chapter, as well. They ALL made me smile.

Don't be scared of the amount of text at the beginning of this one, because it tells a very nice story from the past. :D

* * *

Westcastle was large—one of the largest populated areas in all of Hollow Bastion—and positively bubbling over with life. From the deck of the tall, stone observatory tower, the impossibly gigantic, pointed towers of the castle were visible over the old trees of the wood. Twinkling lights emitting from windows like stars in the black night sky gave the common people faith that somewhere inside that castle, in one of the lighted rooms, their Queen was alive and well. Despite the distance of the lights, the sight of them made people believe that she was more than mere myth. Even seeing her in about Hollow Bastion meeting with citizens… she had an ethereal quality about her; the sort that made people question whether she was really there or not. Her long blonde hair hung like a silk veil down her back, and the waviness of it framed her pale, lively face. Somehow, it was easier to believe she existed on the sole evidence of the lights.

At that time, the infiltration of Hollow Bastion was just beginning. Since the age of ten years old, Naminé was the sole protector of Westcastle, and had long since gained full control of her powers. She made friends with others skilled in the field of magic from around the land—Sora and Riku, both from a small village in central Hollow Bastion, for example. Her magical daggers, which were forged in a deep crystal pit in the Dark Depths, couldn't hold a candle to the magical weapons they were able to consistently produce from thin air. Akiko, a witch roughly the same age as Naminé, was gaining prominence with every spell she cast, and Kairi, a girl from the northern town called Aurora, had appeared with a weapon similar to those of Sora and Riku.

The mystery of the Adherence had Naminé on edge. She knew she couldn't ask her friends to leave their own homes to come help her protect Westcastle—that just wasn't ethical. They had their own families to look out for. Naminé was strong, certainly, but so was the Queen, and they had somehow penetrated Hollow Bastion's protective magic. It was impossible to gauge how powerful they truly were, or how long it would be before Westcastle fell under attack. Still, regardless of the gritty details, Naminé knew they would come, and she knew it would be up to her to defend the town when they did. Normally, she was fearless in the most literal sense of the word, but something about that particular enemy made her uncharacteristically uneasy.

Protecting such a large town was a big job indeed. Without Hollow Bastion's magic, robust and pulsing behind her own, she surely would not have enough power. All citizens of Westcastle were alerted to the danger, as well as informed of what precautions Naminé would be taking. Spells would be cast over the entire area, for starters, and elementary protection spells would be available to all. She spent endless hours deep within the Royal Library of Westcastle, researching and preparing to cast the largest and most complex spell she ever had.

One quick sweep of Westcastle's perimeter was all that was left before she cast the spell from the top of the observatory. Even then, her magic enabled her to run at an accelerated speed; much faster than most ordinary people could run. She circled the town, and even searched through miles of tall-grassed land and woods, just to be sure that nothing would interfere with her spell. As she dashed through the woods noiselessly, wind sweeping her hair straight out behind her, the crackling of broken branches that were not caused by her prompted her to swiftly halt and dive behind an enormous tree. She held her breath, brain frantically launching into overdrive as she carefully scanned the area for even the minutest of magical presences.

What she found hit her like a punch to the gut. An enormous magical presence was lurking roughly fifty feet up the path. Why hadn't she seen it? Her eyebrows knitted together in anxious concentration. Several quick, silent tilts of her head, and she had fully surveyed the area. There was nothing out of the ordinary about that particular patch of woods, so there was certainly no reason for such a large magical presence to be in the vicinity. Either way, it was moving down the path toward Westcastle, so it was her duty to stop whatever was coming.

She lay in wait, concentrating every fiber of her being on whatever it was, and tightened her muscles in preparation to spring. A delicate breeze lightly ruffled her hair, nearly startling her completely out of her stance. The magic grew closer and closer, until finally…

Naminé leaped from her hiding place, and her aim was true—she landed smack against a blonde haired boy, with her daggers drawn and magic already rushing down the hilts and into the blades. He looked surprised, but not a bit frightened. In fact, he looked a bit like Sora and Riku; dressed completely normally with ordinary features and no magical devices on him whatsoever. The blue of his eyes reminded her of a cloudless sky, with flecks of deep, sapphire blue scattered within the paler color. She pulled her mind away from his entrapping eyes with difficulty, and they landed on the ground at last, with her perched on his chest and her daggers poised at his throat.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, lowering her voice in an effort to sound fearsome. Despite her abilities when it came to combat, she was an extremely gentle person at heart, and scaring others wasn't her strong suit.

The boy looked a bit confused; then angry. "Is it a crime to pass through these woods?" he asked acidly, his aggravated look becoming a bit more disdainful. "You don't own this land, I'm sure?"

She breathed a sigh. How dense could he really be? "Anyone from around here knows that I protect Westcastle and its surroundings," she explained snappishly. "In times like these, come near here with a magical presence like yours and you're just asking for trouble. Everybody knows that."

He stared at her, mouth dropping slightly open in disbelief. "You're not serious. Well, let me clear this up right now by saying I'm not from around here."

She tightened her grip on her daggers, pumping them even more with magic. They grew brighter and more threatening, and she saw the boy glance at them quickly and nervously. "Why are you here, then?"

"Passing through!" he insisted indignantly. "Honestly—"

"Stop," she commanded, drawing her weapons closer to his throat. "Tell me what I want to know."

Before she even noticed the gleam in the boy's eye, he blasted her backward with a shield. Never had she been caught off-guard before. The open air rushed uncomfortably around her, enveloping her in a way she was not familiar with. Her body twisted, muscles flexing, and she landed on her feet in a bit of a crouched position and poised to attack—just in time to see him draw his very own weapon from thin air.

It was a keyblade, just like Sora's.

"I mean you no harm… don't make me use this, Naminé."

Her breath caught in her throat as her heart skipped a beat. "How do you know my name?"

He smiled a little, the warmth in it startling her a bit. "It's difficult to live in this land and not know of you."

Instantly, she dropped out of her stance, and her weapons stopped glowing. She slid them into their sheaths, belted at her sides, just to ensure that he understood she didn't want to fight. "Who are you?"

"My name is Roxas."

* * *

"It's at the bank," Naminé whispered in Roxas' ear so quietly that he almost didn't hear it. "Why didn't I see it before?"

It was dark, and they were strolling, in an attempt to appear normal, down a small side street. Every house along the way was dark, its inhabitants either frightened, in hiding elsewhere, or dead. Streetlights that once illuminated the unpaved paths along the side of the road no longer shone brightly to guide those travelling at night. Somehow, Naminé knew instinctively where she was going.

"Because it's pitch black out here," Roxas quipped quietly, keeping one hand firmly clasped on Naminé's shoulder as she guided him through the dark.

Unable to abate a small smile at his attempt, she sighed, "That's not what I meant at all."

Adding just the slightest bit of pressure, he gave her shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze. "I know. I just wanted you to feel better… I care about you."

"Everything important is hidden there!" Naminé muttered, exasperated. Her quick change of topic—getting back on task—Roxas was used to. She never was one to talk excessively about her emotions, and with a statement which simply invited her to share her feelings, it was no wonder she hastily reverted to the matter at hand. "Important legal documents are stored there… mostly, it's just huge filing cabinets stored in the vault with everything else… but they could easily hide a sphere there."

Roxas, a bit disconcerted due to the dark, bit his lip. It certainly was uncomfortable walking without knowing where he was going! "It's not exactly the most likely place," he tried at comforting Naminé a bit. "I mean, if I were trying to hide something important, there's no way I'd leave it under the protection of a mere vault in a world like this one. On Earth, that might work most of the time, but here… it would just do no good." Satisfied at his effort, he felt less nervous than he had just before he said it.

Her thoughtfulness was communicated through her silence. For a moment that felt like an eternity, she didn't speak, and the only thing Roxas could hear was the slight crunching of their footsteps on the path. The moon, merely a sliver, was the only visible light. "That… Roxas, it can't be the only thing they have guarding it," she realized. "They wouldn't!"

"What else could be there?" Roxas wondered aloud, though he definitely had an inkling of what she might be implying.

She exhaled slowly. "I think there might be cameras, traps… and Adherence members."

"Makes sense, I suppose," he agreed unwillingly, wishing that infiltrating the bank could be as easy as first anticipated. "What are we going to do?" He hated to pressure her when he knew she was feeling down, but at the same time, a plan was essential.

It seemed she had already decided on a course of action. "We have to get it tonight," she told him assuredly. "Delaying at this point in the game would be a mistake."

Despite his uncertainties, Roxas followed her, treading carefully as they hurried through the darkness.

* * *

Yuri didn't understand the point of all the fuss. The wound was already much better—she didn't feel much pain at all, and it had barely been a day! Keeping her disdainful thoughts to herself was difficult, but she didn't want Riku to overhear, or he'd be furious. Knowing that her friends were out sneaking, fighting, and stealing made her antsy to get out of the castle. Kairi had situated herself on the balcony of the spare room Yuri was situated in the moment everyone else left, and she hadn't moved since. Her irises were completely black as she watched their friends diligently; listening carefully to their thoughts and keeping a walkie close by in case she needed to contact someone.

After spending about an hour bored out of her mind, Yuri summoned Kyo, the reliable librarian, and asked him to pull as many books about magical spheres as he could. She couldn't imagine how anyone, even Riku, could object to reading. _Then again, paper cuts_, she thought icily. Kyo returned quickly, carrying a large pile of heavy books with thick spines. Some of them looked quite ancient; pages discolored and crinkling. Nonetheless, she thanked him, and grabbed for the book on the top of the pile as Kairi entered the room, squeezing her eyes shut as water trickled slowly down her cheek.

"Using my power for that long is a bit on the painful side," Kairi murmured, covering her watering eyes with her hands.

"Are you okay?" Yuri looked up from the massive book spread across her lap immediately, and became a bit worried.

Kairi nodded, and slowly opened her eyes. "I'll be fine," she answered, biting back a cringe as her eyes stung. "How are you feeling?"

_Bored, anxious, pissed, jealous_… her mind lingered on the last word as a stab of pain from her wound chastised her ungratefulness to be alive. She flinched noticeably, and, predictably, Kairi flipped out. "Are you still hurt? Is there something I can do for you, Yuri?" Kairi fawned over her, suggesting all sorts of foods and medicines, and it took Yuri nearly ten minutes to convince her that she didn't need anything at all. _The only thing I need is to get out of here_.

_See, you think you're being careful, but not careful enough_, Riku sighed in her mind. _I can hear what you're thinking. You need to stop it._

Yuri rolled her eyes. _Riku, I'm absolutely fine. There's no reason for me to be left behind._

_Don't lie, I just heard you think about how much it hurt. Keep resting, Yuri, please_.

She hated to act childishly, but she knew the only way to persuade Riku to let her out was to aim low… very low, to be exact. _Why don't you want me out there_?_ Is it that you want more time alone with Hana_?

_Are you insane_? Riku spat. _She's falling all over the place because she's forgetting things, not to mention glaring at me all the time. You think I want to be around that_?

_Well, you're out there actually doing something; helping… you're with someone who I think you used to have feelings for, and unless I'm mistaken, you're somewhat enjoying the hunt for spheres, and you're glad I'm here and not out there with you—_

_Stop, _Naminé commanded. _Stop it. Don't force the rest of us to listen to your fight_.

_Butt out, Naminé. Am I missing anything, Riku_?

_Only the most important thing._

_And what is that_? Yuri demanded bitterly.

_The thing where I'm completely in love with you. How could you think I would enjoy being here without you_?

* * *

"Kairi stopped watching us," Sora suddenly whispered.

Yuffie gave him a look. "Why is that important?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head quickly, sending his floppy brown hair flying. "I'm not sure how I knew that."

Yuffie shrugged. "Either way, we've got to free this village before daybreak. Let's get going!"

They crept through the tall grass, Sora still mystified as to how he knew Kairi had stopped watching. He heard Riku and Yuri fighting, but did his best to tune it out. They were both so stupid sometimes! Somehow, Yuffie managed to move with a bit more grace than Sora, and the village was less than a mile from where they hid.

He watched Yuffie's eyes calculate where the first guard they would need to kill was standing through the darkness. Sora knew using a night vision spell would be very risky indeed, but couldn't help being tempted. Listening very carefully, he heard footsteps, soft and muted by the dirt, and the whizzing of a shuriken flying through the air. There was a groan of pain, and a sudden thud—she had _already _felled the first guard.

"See? I told you—_assassin_," Yuffie hissed.

"Shut up," Sora whispered.

* * *

"Can you believe Yuri told me to butt out?" Naminé seethed at Roxas. "She—"

"Calm down," Roxas suggested. "She's just… well, you know her. She worries."

"That does not constitute rudeness."

"Cut her a bit of slack… she'll apologize later," Roxas assured her.

"Look… the bank." He felt Naminé gesture directly ahead of them, and could see a small glint of moonlight across the glass walls which made up the front of the building. It was ghostly, frightening, and beautiful all at once.

"Let's go," Roxas murmured determinedly.

* * *

And now we're all done with filler things, I swear! XD Next chapter will be longer, and you can consider that a promise. It will also be up much quicker.

Review/Favorite, cause you know I love it! :D

Thank you,

Lulala


	25. Sphere Hunting

Prepare yourself for the longest chapter ever. XD

I got a lot of positive feedback about the flashback from the beginning of the last chapter, which is lucky, because it's actually a three part flashback! :D the second part being at the beginning of this chapter, and the third part will be at the end of the next chapter. I had some doubts about positive reaction to this chapter; I suppose you'll see what I mean as you read. XD Make sure to send me some feedback after you're finished reading!

* * *

"So you knew who I was all along?" Naminé asked the boy called Roxas incredulously. Somehow, after Naminé apologized for jumping him, they ended up strolling down the path toward Westcastle, chatting amicably.

He smirked, and glanced sideways at her. "You don't have a face anyone would forget," he explained. "Sora and Riku showed me your picture, just so that I wouldn't attack you or confuse you with a blonde foe."

"Ah," Naminé murmured in understanding. "How are they? I haven't spoken with either of them in ages!" True, she loved them both to death, but spent most of her time chained to Westcastle. Her parents and her town needed her.

Roxas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You haven't heard from them yet?"

Naminé shook her head, wary of his tone. There couldn't be something wrong, could there?

"Their town was overrun while they were away," Roxas informed her, downcast. "I thought they'd come here to ensure your safety before doing anything else… which, of course, is why you found me wandering down the path."

"That's terrible news!" Naminé sighed sadly. "I'll be glad to see them, of course, but…"

"Terrible circumstances," Roxas supplied for her solemnly.

As they walked, Naminé grew to like Roxas more and more with every moment that passed. There was no doubt that he was attractive, certainly, but he was articulate and intelligent, as well, not to mention hilarious. She could have kicked herself for letting a cute boy distract her from her task, but she'd cast the spell just as soon as they returned to town.

When Westcastle was at last within sight, Naminé expected to find her bustling town nestled snugly and quietly next to the wood, as always. At first, everything appeared normal, but her first clue that something was off came in the form of several large flares of magic. Roxas seemed to sense it as well, and they quickened their step to a run when they were near enough to hear screaming.

Three black haired, female Adherence members, cackling gleefully, blew up houses as they marched down a heavily populated residential street. It was easy enough to find them—they were noisy, and citizens were fleeing wildly. As Naminé and Roxas wove through the crowd toward the enemies, she couldn't help noticing the looks of hope and gratefulness on everyone's faces when they saw her. She couldn't believe it; the people of Westcastle really _did_ feel safe with her watching over them!

Letting her town down was not what she had intended at all by leaving to sweep the area. When the girls were in sight, she channeled all her anger into her magic. She would not rest until all three fell at her hand.

"Nice magic," she commented sarcastically, cheeks already pink with fury. "Too bad you're using it to abuse innocent, defenseless bystanders!"

Just from the coldness of their facial expressions, Naminé deduced that they had been warned of her presence. "Out of the way, girl," one snapped at her viciously. "This is not your concern."

"You blew up houses in my town," Naminé said frigidly. Roxas hated to admit it, but somehow, Naminé, so sweet and beautiful, had managed a frightening look in her eye. "You blew them up, and you expect me to just stay out of it?" A spell ripped from her palms and shot through the air, hitting one before they could deflect it. She crumpled backward, and her legs tumbled over her head as she landed in a heap, bleeding and buried beneath her long sheet of hair.

"Seems we underestimated you," one of the two remaining girls muttered.

"Seems you did," Roxas agreed, swiftly drawing his keyblade from nowhere.

They froze. "Keyblade," both Adherence members whispered, shocked.

"There's two more where that came from!"

Naminé whirled around at the familiar voice. Behind her and Roxas, Sora and Riku were resting their keyblades on their shoulders, smirking at Naminé's surprise. "Hey, guys!" she greeted them happily.

"Great to see you," Sora smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes—she knew he was torn up over the loss of his village, but she appreciated the effort all the same. "I see you've met our good buddy Roxas!"

"You might have told me there were more of you," she said good-naturedly, offering a cheeky grin.

"Wait, they're getting away!" Riku immediately launched a spell toward where the Adherence members were quickly teleporting away, but it was in vain. They were gone before the spell reached them.

They approached the body of the girl Naminé hit, and Riku quipped, "Well, at least you got one of them."

Her hands shook violently when she saw what she did. That girl marked the first human Naminé ever killed, as well as the first time Naminé felt remorse for killing. 

Monsters and fiends were entirely different subjects, as most of them were deplorable creatures which deserved to die. But this girl—what had she done, really? For all Naminé knew, she may have even been forced into the Adherence against her will. She fought off the grief that was attempting to overcome her immediately when she remembered that her parents were home today, and they needed to be checked on.

"Guys, my parents!" Naminé squeaked worriedly, taking off down the street. Hurried footsteps behind her indicated that Sora, Riku and Roxas were hot on her heels. She remained completely focused as she made a quick right several blocks down the road, disconcerted by the carnage so close to her home. Her street was just two more down…

She made another right, and stopped short, collapsing onto her knees in the middle of the road. All that remained of her house was its blackened, crumbling foundation. In fact, her entire street had been decimated—not one single wall was left standing. Now, her guilt stretched beyond her failure to cast the protective spell in time. She was responsible for the deaths of innocent citizens, as well as the deaths of her own parents. It was obvious neither of them had survived the blast, and it was useless to hope they had decided to leave the house on a whim. They were cleaning out the attic that day, trying to live life normally despite the invasion, and Naminé doubted anything could have lured her mother out of the house when she really set her mind to getting something done.

Bitter, stinging tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the horrific scene, and as Sora put a comforting hand on her shoulder, she swore she would never again be distracted from what needed to be done.

* * *

Yuri was stunned into silence.

_My feelings for Hana are purely platonic, and for you to suggest otherwise is honestly a bit painful for me_, Riku continued. Sure, Yuri had expected a pretty severe reaction from Riku, but nothing _that_ severe. _And if I ever felt something for her, it could obviously never compare to what I felt for you. I risked everything to be near you, Yuri… if Zexion wasn't dead, you can be sure that I would have been banished after he found us in that compromising position. If your advisors ever believed we had an inappropriate relationship, I could still be reprimanded. Don't you see?_

_That_ was something she was not aware of. It made sense, of course… the Queen was not allowed much freedom outside of wedlock, and she knew that. She didn't realize that every time she was around Riku, or any guy, for that matter, she was probably being closely monitored. It was then that she remembered Riku was waiting patiently for her reply. _I apologize_, she choked out, overcome by her own immaturity. _I was obviously ignorant to the fact that I couldn't… that you couldn't…_

_Well, not like I would have said anything_, he said sheepishly. _You would have copped some noble excuse to stop being around me 'for my own good', or something. I think I've proven I don't care nearly as much for my own good as I do for yours._

That idiot! Yuri smacked her palm to her forehead, barely believing what Riku was saying. _That is so foolish_—

_Could you finish your talk in person, please_? Naminé requested sharply. _I'm about to break into this place and steal a sphere, and being able to concentrate would be nice_.

Neither Yuri nor Riku spoke another word.

While he was internally speaking with Yuri, Hana was crawling around in the alcove they came upon at the top of the cavern. Brown, jagged rocks wallpapered the circular area, and a small hole in the ground on the north side of the circle was the only way in or out. Riku assumed that the long climb they had endured was a vertical wall, sidled up next to the alcove but never delved into the rock beneath where the alcove was located. Ideally, it was a perfect place to hide something valuable. The climb wasn't easy, and falling would certainly have been fatal. One false move and your last memory would be falling, and falling, and falling…

"How are we coming?" Riku asked expectantly, taking a moment away from his conversation with Yuri to check on Hana.

She muttered something under her breath as she glared at him. "Sorry, I just have to be careful to dig in the right place. If we break it, then Ran will know we're gathering the spheres."

He sighed exasperatedly. "She can feel it if we break it, too?"

Hana raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Yes, she can. Honestly, Riku, don't underestimate her."

"Well, we really don't know all the specifics of these things yet," Riku reminded her through gritted teeth. Keeping his composure was key—he really didn't want to fight with Hana anymore, but she certainly was making it difficult.

"You break it, and you ruin everything," she informed him darkly. "How's that for an explanation?"

"Got it."

"Good!" she said brightly. "Now, where's that sphere…"

Watching Hana work was like a blast from the past. Back then, they talked, always chattering warmly, like close friends. At that moment, Riku couldn't think of anything to say. There was so much, and yet… nothing. Their friendship was gone, and he wasn't sure that he wanted it back. Things with Yuri were just beginning to work out (though it certainly didn't seem like it, considering the direction his mental conversation 

with her was going), and before he was sent to Earth, Hana always seemed to ruin his chances with Yuri. She caused a lot of fights, including the one Riku and Yuri were currently having, and he didn't want things to just continue where they left off so many years ago.

Hana paused over a specific patch of ground, face scrunched in concentration as she groped around, carefully sensing for a magical aura. Her hand came to a dead stop. "Riku, I think I've got it!" she told him excitedly. "Really, come see!"

Just as Naminé cut off his conversation with Yuri, he grimaced at her reaction, and hoisted himself off the ground where he was seated, closing the space between himself and Hana with a few large strides. He crouched down next to her, fighting off his sadness at being called foolish, and reluctantly placed his hand over hers. "I'd have to agree, actually," he said immediately. "Wow… feel that! It's awful!"

"What's bothering you?"

Riku turned toward her, shocked to find her face only inches from his. Their hands had not moved, and the knowing look in her eyes made Riku glance away, defeated, before she said anything else. Her proximity made him uncomfortable the way it was, but when she could still sense things like that, just as she could seventeen years ago… it was a bit disarming. He somehow felt she would be offended if he removed himself from the situation, so he remained stiff in his position so near the girl he had disappointed so many times; so near the girl whose heart he had repeatedly and unintentionally broken.

"Honestly, Riku, there's no use hiding it. I can see it—you have that look on your face." He knew without looking that her eyes were hardened, knowing, and intense as they analyzed his expression.

"What look?" Riku hedged pathetically. It was no use; she smelled an easy victory whenever Riku attempted to play dumb.

"That look," she repeated, as if it would ascertain her meaning. "You know the one. The one that just screams something is wrong."

Riku rolled his eyes a bit too quickly to be plausible. "Nothing's wrong," he huffed unconvincingly, hoping that making her feel stupid would dissuade her from trying to wrestle anything out of him.

She eyed him critically, and feeling her gaze boring into him at such a close distance was disconcerting indeed. "You are the worst liar I have ever seen."

"I'm not lying," he insisted, desperately hoping she would not decide to pursue getting him to talk.

In an unexpected gesture of comfort, she placed her other hand over his reassuringly, and caught his gaze. "I'll bet it's Yuri and that little magic network in your head. Don't worry, Riku, just don't listen to her nagging. You're right, you know—she needs her rest."

Though that wasn't the main issue at the moment, Riku appreciated her words all the same. "Thank you…" his voice trailed off as unfamiliar friendly feelings toward Hana began to resurface.

"Don't mention it," she half-smiled. "Let's dig up this sphere, shall we?"

"Definitely," Riku agreed, unbelievably thankful that she had finally moved her hands. He scooted quickly around so that he was facing her as opposed to crouching next to her, and was immediately at ease. Being close to her freaked him out more than he ever would have guessed.

They pawed at the ground, carefully moving dirt and rocks out of the way. It was easy work, save for the fact that they had to dig annoyingly cautiously so as not to break the sphere. After twenty minutes or so, light was finally showing through the dirt, and Hana carefully brushed the last of it out of the way with her fingertips. She gingerly picked up the sphere and removed it from the hole, smiling widely.

"We did it, Riku, we got it!" she exclaimed happily, flashing it toward him.

"I know, I know, it's awesome!" he agreed jovially, truly proud of their work.

Swiftly, she set it on the ground, and before either of them knew it, they were hugging and jumping up and down, euphorically pleased with themselves. Just as he realized what he was doing, Riku immediately released her, and the jumping stopped, but her arms remained locked around him. She peered up at him sadly, and he understood immediately what she was thinking.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, trying to back away from her.

Her arms were like and impenetrable wall around his waist—she refused to move them. "It's okay," she sighed, still looking up at him. "I just… I want us to be friends again."

"Friends," Riku repeated hollowly. He knew getting close to Hana would be a mistake; he knew she was trouble…

"Friends," she affirmed quietly, unlocking her arms and reaching up to touch his face. She held both of his cheeks, fingers curling along his jaw line.

"I told Yuri that I loved her today," Riku blurted, so shocked that he couldn't bring himself to move.

"I know you love her," she sighed again, but that didn't seem to stop her… her face was drawing nearer as she stood on her toes…

"Hana, no," Riku hissed. "I can't… please, don't…"

She smiled a little. "I have to know… just once."

He couldn't think of how to stop her. His arms hung, useless, at his sides, and his legs refused all orders to move. Paralyzed in terror, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think…

"Stop," he whispered. "Hana, stop…" Her face was inches from his again; she was beautiful without her Adherence features…

She pressed her lips lightly to his, and his mind screamed for him to push her away—she said she wanted to be _friends_—but, again, her proximity scared him half to death. He finally managed to lift his arms and place them on her shoulders, but a traitorous part of him—an extremely small part of him—was raising a mutiny, trying to get him to pull her closer instead of push her away.

It had already gone further than it should have. Yuri's face burst into his mind, and even though he doubted that she felt the way he did, the image was enough for him to gather the strength to gently push Hana away.

She backed up slowly, and bent down to retrieve the sphere. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I should have listened to you."

"Yes, you should have," Riku said, fighting back anger. "I don't want to keep hurting you, Hana, but you keep setting yourself up." Okay, so that came out a bit harsher than he meant…

Surprisingly, she smiled. "It's okay. I'm used to playing second fiddle to her, and I know you could never love me… but that doesn't change how I've always felt about you. I just wanted you to know."

* * *

"How do you suppose we go about this?" Roxas asked Naminé quietly as they both scanned the simple outer defenses of the bank.

"I think we should take it one step at a time," she replied slowly. "We'll handle one obstacle, and then move to the next. The first obstacle, of course, is breaking through these charms to get in."

Roxas studied the magic for a minute. "I haven't seen anything like it before… but it seems that we could teleport through it…

"I don't think we should. That's probably just a trap… they want us to teleport in, and then whatever is inside will get us," Naminé deduced.

She was right, and there was no question about it. "I wonder what else we could do…"

"Let's take a closer look," Naminé decided, guiding Roxas several feet closer to the building. "Other than the spell, I don't think they have any security out here."

"They don't," a girl's voice strongly said, albeit softly. "Leave right now, and nobody gets hurt."

One quick analysis of the girl's magic revealed to both Roxas and Naminé that she would probably be incapable of even scratching them, let alone hurting them, but she certainly had power enough to fight off any non-magic folk. "Who are you?" Roxas returned, stony-faced as he positioned himself between Naminé and where the voice came from protectively.

"I can see you, don't try anything."

Naminé closed her eyes, and she felt it—a night vision spell, affecting a girl just four feet away from where they were crouched. "Who are you?" Roxas repeated impatiently.

"You can't see me."

"Who you are isn't important. Why you are trying to distract us from entering this building, however, is of interest to us. What are you doing?" Naminé asked, voice jagged and harsh. People who pulled Naminé off-task intentionally typically received that sort of treatment.

The girl sighed. It definitely wasn't a good idea to ignore a demand like that. "I'm Lorena, and I protect Westcastle, which includes stopping people like you from trying to take whatever the Adherence is hiding in there."

"You think we're normal people," Roxas muffled his laughter against his arm. How refreshing being mistaken for normal _once_ could be.

The tension in the air grew as the girl sunk into a defensive stance. "I know just your kind. People from around here, trying to make them leave by taking whatever they've hidden in there. Well, I can't allow you to do that."

Naminé rolled her eyes, floored by the girl's ignorance. "Listen, you have no idea what's in there, or what will happen if it's stolen, so just back away before I do something drastic."

"Oh, are you trying to say that _you_ know all these things? Nobody knows," the girl snapped tartly.

"We both know," Roxas stepped in, silencing Naminé and her anger by placing a hand on her shoulder. "If it's taken, the Adherence could be stopped. Let us pass peacefully, please. We don't want to hurt you, kid."

"I can't! I'm guarding this for a reason."

"That reason being?" Naminé asked through gritted teeth.

"Who do you think they'll come after if it's gone? Who will they seek revenge on? Us. The people of Westcastle."

"We're just trying to help," Roxas assured her, staring blankly into the dark as his impatience began to get to him.

"You're just random people, how can I believe you're telling the truth?"

With a sharp scowl, Naminé magicked her disguised head back to her normal head. "Can you see me?" she asked, restraining her annoyance as best she could.

The girl gasped. "It's you!"

Naminé smiled a little. "It is. Now, may we please break into the bank?"

"Of course, of course! You're a legend around here, and people have been whispering about your return for days!"

Naminé felt like a celebrity as she reverted back to her disguise. "Thank you, Lorena. Please, be careful while you're doing this job…"

"I will." The air around them kicked up a bit as she left.

"Strange," Roxas commented to Naminé. "She's the new you."

"Only with a fraction of the strength," Naminé mused sadly. "I worry she'll be hurt."

"We'll get the spheres and nobody will ever be hurt again, don't worry," Roxas said comfortingly.

"Thank you, Roxas… you always know what to say to me."

"I do, I do," he grinned. "Anyway, what's the best way in?" he asked, assuming she was anxious to get in and get out.

"I think we'll rip a hole in the spell, and then patch it to cover our tracks," Naminé explained softly. "I can do it with my daggers."

Roxas considered this for a moment, and agreed. "Go for it."

They sneaked closer, and Naminé pulled her daggers from their sheaths. "I haven't actually done this before," she admitted nervously. Luckily, the dark hid her face, which was pink with embarrassment.

"I'll help," Roxas offered, positioning himself behind her and closing his hand around one of hers. Leaning in toward her ear, he said softly, "I believe in you."

Unable to contain a smile, she gently pulled Roxas's hand toward where the magical shield was situated. "Ready?" she whispered, the huge smile still across her face almost audible.

"As always," he answered, tightening his grip of her hand protectively.

"Focus, and guide the dagger downward," she instructed quietly. Together, they roughly stabbed it through the spell. Roxas was expecting it to feel as though they were slicing through thin air, but vibrations crawled up his arm as though they had just struck a brick wall. They summoned all their strength, and ripped the dagger downward, exposing a gaping and visible hole in the spell. Naminé quickly tugged Roxas through the opening, whirled around, and shot the bit of the spell her dagger had absorbed at the gaping hole. Thankfully, it patched almost seamlessly.

"We did it," Naminé said in amazement. "We're in!"

"Wait. Don't move. Let's figure out what the next line of defenses is before we move anywhere," Roxas said, eyeing their surroundings cautiously.

Inside the bank, there was a service counter to their left, and four offices on the wall straight in front of them. It looked as though the bank had been abandoned for quite awhile—no ordinary person would even realize the protection spell was in place. Dust had settled on nearly every surface, and was so thick that Naminé and Roxas were likely to leave footprints.

Naminé and Roxas scanned the room thoroughly for magical booby traps and alarms. The normal alarm, located behind the service counter, was broken to pieces, but no guards were anywhere to be found, either.

"I can't find anything… what do they have guarding this place?" Naminé asked, frustrated. "There has to be something I'm missing…"

"Maybe all of the security is devoted to the vault," Roxas speculated. "I mean, it just reeks of magic, so the sphere has got to be in there. They probably figured nobody would even manage to get past the protective spell, and they don't know that we know about the spheres."

"You could be right," she said skeptically. "I just don't think it could be that simple! If their leader is so fearsome, you'd think she wouldn't grievously underestimate us."

Roxas shrugged. "Well, you never know what we'll find in the vault, I suppose."

"Good point," Naminé agreed. "There's only one way to find out."

The vault was huge, as they expected. With an enormous iron door several feet taller than them, the task of opening it was daunting to say the least. A quick survey of the door assured Naminé that no alarms would be tripped by opening it, but the use of a powerful spell would undoubtedly betray their position to any Adherence member in the area.

"Roxas, I…" she peered over at him, preparing to say that she had absolutely no idea how they could possibly open the vault, and she saw he was already a step ahead of her and was summoning his keyblade. "Do you really think that will work?" she asked dubiously.

"Of course it will," he grinned sheepishly. "Do you doubt me, Naminé?"

"No, not at all!" she stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, give it a shot."

Roxas pointed the blade at the center of the combination lock, and a thin streak of white light shot forward. The welcome sound of a lock unlocking filled the room.

"Told you," Roxas teased, following Naminé toward the door.

"Yeah, yeah," she giggled, rolling her eyes. "Let's see if we can get this thing open."

It was heavy—heavier than either of them could have imagined. Naminé supposed magic was regularly used to open it, but they couldn't risk being discovered. Keyblade magic was something they probably wouldn't recognize, or even sense, but surely someone would be scouring the land for spells cast by Naminé. They pulled as hard as they could, their muscles screaming for mercy. Finally, after minutes of heaving the door with as much strength as they could summon, it began to move.

"That's enough!" Naminé gasped, measuring the small gap in the door with her mind. "We can fit through that."

Roxas held the door for Naminé as she slipped through the door, and he followed closely behind her.

The entirety of the iron inside was empty.

"What?" Roxas sputtered in disbelief. "All that for an _empty_ vault?"

"There's definitely something here," Naminé pointed out. With her foot, she tapped on something on the ground.

A manhole, covered with an iron disc.

"Down we go," Roxas sighed.

* * *

Now, before we all get mad at Hana, just think about her position in this whole matter. XD

Next chapter will be up soon, review and add the story to your favorites/alert list if you like it!

Thanks for reading,

Lulala


	26. Down We Go

It is currently 1:58 AM where I live. I spent the past two days getting this completely ready, hoping to have it up on the 30th, and here we are... technically the 1st. My birthday is in nine days, warped tour is in three, and I'm busier than ever. XD This is long for your enjoyment, with the promised last section of the flashback at the END of the chapter. I worked extremely hard on this one, so I really hope you like it... not that I don't always work hard, but I'm definitely _trying_ to improve.

Thank you very, very, VERY much for all the positive feedback from the last chapter. Reviews and favorites and that sort of thing honestly keep me going. :D

**Kingdom Hearts Lover: **Sign in, darn it! XD Your kind words gave me the goofiest grin ever. Thank you so much.

**IrisedLuna:** I enjoy your feedback very much, which I'm sure you've realized due to the extremely long replies you receive. I wanted to thank you, once again, for your careful reading.

This one's a rollercoaster ride... enjoy!

* * *

Sora easily brought down the last guard in the area with one quick move of his keyblade, and Yuffie could hardly contain herself. She bounced and fidgeted, eager to celebrate their victory, while Sora quickly told Yuri; _We've secured the village… now what?_

_Remember those little stickers I gave you? _she asked. _They're in your pack—stick one somewhere well hidden in the village, and cast a normal shield charm on it. I invented this before we left, but we obviously never had an area isolated long enough to test them, or use them at all for that matter… basically, it creates the same spell that protects the castle. Try it and pray it works._

_Perfect, thank you,_ Sora replied gratefully. Within moments, Sora produced the sheet of circular white stickers; each was roughly the size of a quarter from Earth. "Yuri said that we need to find a good place to hide one of these in the village," Sora whispered to Yuffie. "You're a ninja. If you didn't want to be found, where would you hide?"

"Hmm…" Yuffie tapped her chin. "How about inside a chimney? Those things should be fire-proof."

"Chimneys probably don't get cleaned often anymore," Sora said thoughtfully. "Seems like a good idea to me! Now, let's go, but keep quiet…"

They stealthily ventured into the village, still utilizing the cover of night to avoid being seen. The sun, eager to cast its light over the land, would soon be rising, bright and blinding, destroying Sora and Yuffie's natural disguises and forcing them to behave even more carefully. With the threat of sunrise approaching quickly, Sora and Yuffie worked with machine-like speed and efficiency, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in search of the perfect chimney in which to deposit the magical spell.

One old house, made of crumbling bricks far past their years of strength, hovered silently amidst the other much newer homes for several minutes before at last catching Yuffie's observant eye. "Sora, I think this one looks abandoned," she hissed, Sora's outline visible in the dim light which warned them of the sun approaching. "Abandoned is good."

"Abandoned _is _good. Precisely what we wanted," Sora rubbed his hands together enthusiastically, and peeled a sticker from the sheet. He carefully balanced it on the tip of his index finger, and placed it against the brick inside the chimney. Pressing down firmly, he ensured that the sticker was secure, and placed his right palm over it as he cast the strongest shield spell he could manage.

Yuffie cocked an intrigued eyebrow. "What, exactly, are you doing?" she asked, hesitating as she saw the look of pure and unyielding concentration on Sora's face.

Sora removed his hand after finishing the spell, and noticed a translucent, violet-hued bubble spreading across the sky over the town. It leaked toward the ground, forming a dome-like shape and falling just past the outskirts of the town. Shimmering like glitter, the shield began to dissolve into invisibility, just like the spell protecting the castle.

"W-o-w."

Sora glanced at Yuffie, and couldn't resist a smile—her mouth was hanging open as she tilted her head straight back and stared at the sky. With eyes wide, she pulled her head back into normal position, and, with an amazed look in Sora's direction, said, "Well, didn't see that one coming."

A loud guffaw almost forced itself into the silent air; Sora managed to muffle it into his arm. Her tone of voice—resigned, off-handed, nonchalant—was hilarious, and just what he needed to lighten the mood. Perhaps being paired with such a bright, unique girl wasn't such a bad thing after all. At any rate, it wasn't worth the amount of dread Sora had allowed. They were getting their work done, weren't they?

Yuffie choked back a laugh when she saw Sora sputtering, her eyes brightening as she plastered a huge, goofy smile on her face. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Sora shook his head, cradling his forehead in his palm as a grin almost as silly as Yuffie's stretched across his face. "Anyway, we're finished here, and the sun's rising…"

Her smile disappeared very suddenly, and she was wrinkling her nose, crossing her arms, and slouching uncooperatively. "We're not finished," she pointed out, "how are they going to know they are protected?"

Sora shrugged. "I assume Naminé would frown upon leaving a calling card."

_Um, yes, you'd be correct_! Naminé interjected.

"Can't we please leave _something_?" Yuffie whined, her lips slipping into a perfect pout as her eyes widened and began to look a bit teary.

He sighed, thinking to himself that only Yuffie would have pouting down to an art form. "I really don't know," he hedged uncertainly. "What do you propose we leave?"

_The royal seal_? Yuri suggested inside his head.

_So glad to know you're all listening_, Sora threw in sarcastically.

_I wish we had a symbol for like, the Resistance or something, since that's basically what we are_, Roxas ignored Sora's complaint.

_How about an "R", for Resistance, with a little crown, like the one on the royal seal, over it_? Kairi suggested. _That way, everyone can work out what it means for themselves, and they'll eventually realize that it's us_.

_So I should carve this into the ground with my keyblade, then_?

_Do,_ Yuri encouraged. _It'll really give them hope_.

"You know, that really is the most annoying thing in the world," Yuffie poked him roughly on the shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. "Have you just been ignoring me while you're off inside your head?"

Sora grimaced a little, and tried his best to look ashamed of himself to make her feel better. "I'm sorry, they were all just flooding my mind with suggestions…"

_It's not our fault that you lack the motor skills to multi-task_, Kairi teased.

_Thank you for that_, Sora retorted, agitated. "I didn't try to ignore you, Yuffie… honest."

Still unsure whether she should forgive him or not, she wrinkled her nose again, and asked a bit dubiously, "What did they come up with?"

"An "R", which stands for resistance, with the crown from the royal seal above it," Sora relayed to her, picturing it himself in his head as he described it to her. Everyone would clearly be able to work out what it meant, wouldn't they?

"Hmm… I like," Yuffie decided with a small shrug of her shoulders. "Let's do this thing."

"Town square?" Sora mused aloud, his mind quickly shuffling through locations and singling out areas that would be most effective.

"Makes sense," Yuffie agreed with a nod, leaping from the roof quite suddenly and heading in the direction of the square. "Come on, Sora!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Hana said again, eyes dropping to the ground as Riku turned and began to stride toward the hole in the ground they had entered the mysterious part of the cavern through. "Really… I am. I hope you understand."

He halted abruptly, and Hana jumped anxiously. Wordlessly, he looked at her over his shoulder, and smiled weakly. "Grab the sphere, and let's get going!" he said, his eyes radiating unfamiliar warmth. Finally, after years of viewing Hana's feelings as annoying, ridiculous… he understood.

It was difficult for Hana to break her sullen expression, despite Riku's clear assertion that they could still be friends. A smile, which appeared quite false, twisted her mouth out of the stony frown she had before assumed was unbreakable. She bent down quickly and retrieved the sphere. "We need something to keep it in," she reminded Riku, "we really can't break it."

"You're right," he agreed with a nod. "What about a box with padding?"

"Well, that would work, if we had one with us."

"Hana, you can work magic," Riku hinted, a glint of mischief in his blue eyes.

"What? So can you," she pointed out, both confused and slightly annoyed.

With a laugh, Riku held a hand out in front of her, clenched it into a fist, and reopened it. In his palm sat a pale wooden box, fitted with a silver clasp. "See what I mean?"

She offered a small scowl, embarrassed at being so pathetically spacey. "Sorry my conjuring skills aren't quite up to par with yours."

"Nonsense," Riku dismissed her nonchalantly, popping open the silver clasp and revealing the red, plush interior of the box. He held it out to Hana, and she carefully nestled the sphere into the padding. With a snap, the box was shut and secured again, and Riku tossed it into his pack. "Let's get going. Hop on, this will go faster if I carry you down," he suggested to Hana.

Her face immediately flamed pink, embarrassed at the thought of ever touching Riku again. Worst of all, he had suggested it—he was pretending like nothing had happened, like she hadn't been so ridiculously stupid. "Are you sure?" she asked skeptically, giving him a chance to change his mind. Surely, he shouldn't have felt _obligated_ to—

"Of course," he insisted, the mischievous glint present again behind his eyes. It looked as though he was fighting a smirk, and Hana vaguely wondered what he could be hiding.

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly, slowly approaching Riku. Thankfully, he wouldn't see her splotchy, red face while she was on his back.

He picked her up with ease, securing her legs with his arms while she gently clasped her arms around his neck. "Ready?" he asked her, an excitement evident in his voice. What did he possibly have to be excited about? They were only climbing down… weren't they?

"Ready as possible," she affirmed nervously. He was planning something, she was certain.

Her first clue was that he got a running start. Riding on his back while Riku unleashed his fearsome speed was terrifying, and Hana instinctively tightened her grip around his neck, though she knew that it probably would not save her from what Riku was about to do. They were fast approaching the hole in the ground, and he wasn't slowing one bit. Suddenly, he took an enormous leap, and they were falling down the hole, falling down the cavern…

Riku kicked off of one of the walls, propelling them to the opposite side of the shaft, and repeated the process, catapulting back and forth as they uncomfortably moved toward the ground.

His laughter was unnerving. How could he honestly be enjoying risking their lives? It wasn't just a normal Riku laugh, either; it had transformed, and sounded more like a child having the time of his life. Then again, there was a something to be said for _that_ argument—that's probably exactly what he was. Riku definitely had the illusion of maturity mastered, but deep down, this laughter lurked, waiting for an appropriate time to break free. Unfortunately, it picked the wrong time, in Hana's opinion. She clung, frightened out of her wits, to Riku's back.

They landed on the ground perfectly, Riku's breathing heavy with exultation. "Awesome, huh?" he asked Hana happily, releasing her legs.

Her arms, still cemented together around his neck, refused to move, and she hung limp like a ragdoll down his back. "Not the word I would use to describe the experience," she mumbled, yanking her arms apart with difficulty.

Riku chuckled—back to his normal laugh, Hana noted—and shrugged his shoulders, smirking unapologetically when he saw the look on Hana's face. "Calm down… we're fine, haven't you noticed?"

"_You_ are," she corrected under her breath, giving him a disapproving glare.

"Live a little," Riku suggested, refusing to stop smiling.

"Whatever," Hana downplayed his comment. "Looks like we spent all night in there, the sun's coming up…"

"Where to next, do you suppose?"

"We don't have any leads," Hana said, downcast.

"We didn't to begin with, and we're doing just fine so far," Riku reminded her. "A village is nearby… I can hear all of the people thinking. It's very large, so we could always check there."

"Port Pine," Hana informed him knowledgeably. "On the lake… remember?"

He half-smiled, "It's been awhile since I've been here. Forgive me if I can't remember the name of each and every town."

Hana pulled their walkie-talkie out of her bag, and said brightly, "Let's tell everyone else about our success, shall we?"

Riku nodded, grinning widely. "We shouldn't miss an opportunity to brag about being first to find something."

She pressed and held the small red button on the end of the small, cylindrical device, and spoke into the top end. "Hana and Riku here… we found a sphere."

* * *

Naminé frowned, staring into the deep, dark abyss, foolishly hoping for a light to pop on and assure them that it was safe to climb down. Thankfully, a ladder clung to the edge of the circular passage, though she wasn't certain whether it could be trusted or not.

"I'll go first," Roxas declared after a long moment of silence. "Anything that's down there… I want to get rid of before you come."

"Roxas," Naminé sighed, secretly touched that he wanted to protect her, "it is fine. We'll go down together."

"No," he said, his mouth a firm, thin line, and his expression hardened. Concern flooded from his eyes, despite his harsh face. "I won't risk you getting hurt."

She scoffed. "And you think I want to risk you getting hurt? Honestly, Roxas, let's just go together. We're both too stubborn to let the other have their way; you know that."

He softened, unable to stay stoic in his demand. "But, Naminé, I…"

Placing a comforting hand on his cheek, she almost allowed herself to be lost in his eyes. He was sincerely worried for her, and would do anything to protect her, if she would let him. "I know, Roxas. Let's go together," she gently urged.

"No, you don't know," he began. "I finally found _something_ in this world that you _don't _know. I have been in love with you since I read the first page of your diary, and… when I found out it was yours, I was so happy…"

She stared straight ahead, silent. He heard her sniff quietly, and realized with a sickening lurch that she was crying. "I didn't want you to say that until I was sure we would both live through this," she whispered. "Now… things will only be harder."

"I don't understand."

"Of course I love you, Roxas. Always have, and always will. But what will happen to me if _you_ die? What will happen to you if I die?" She managed to fight back stronger tears that were trying to burst free. "It's too much to bear."

"If you die, which you won't, I would be happy that you knew," Roxas told her quietly, pulling her into his arms. "I would know you were always watching… and if I died, I would still be happy you knew, and you could count on me keeping tabs on you, always."

"There are no words," Naminé said simply. "No words that could convey my grief if you were to die."

"Good thing I won't, then," he teased lightly. "And neither will you. Let's go together." He was truly touched to see a moment of weakness in Naminé. Whether in Hollow Bastion or on Earth, she had always kept her feelings to herself. She was never cold; she simply knew how to keep her emotions inside and under control. A release like that was a rare thing indeed, but it only further endeared her to Roxas.

He released her, and quickly dried her cheeks. "Smile, please."

She obeyed, giving him a quick grin and a small, swift kiss. "C'mon, Roxas, let's go!"

It was a race for the ladder—both she and Roxas lunged at the same time, hoping to be the first one to reach it. With the use of a quick shove, Roxas found himself the victor.

"I get to go first," he boasted, grinning cheekily at Naminé as he began to climb down.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you cheated. I could always just stomp on your face, you know."

He laughed as Naminé climbed onto the ladder above him and began to follow him down. "But you wouldn't," he said knowingly.

With a scoff, she replied, "You never know, I can get pretty mean when I want revenge."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't threaten me," Roxas ribbed good-naturedly. "We're not using magic again, am I right?"

"Someone will sense it if we do, so we'd better lay off," she said unhappily.

"I think we're getting near the bottom!" Roxas exclaimed in relief. They were scaling down the ladder unnaturally fast, it was true, but it felt like they had been climbing for a very long time.

Naminé was thoughtful for a moment. "What do you think is down here?"

"I'm hoping for something useful," Roxas admitted as his feet hit the ground. "Yes, we made it!"

"We've got something useful for you," a quiet voice hissed from the darkness.

Lights on the ceiling burst on very suddenly, filling the tunnel with bright yellow light. Two dark-haired male Adherence members stood against the wall opposite the ladder, waiting for them. Naminé hopped down from the ladder and drew her daggers. "What do you want?" she demanded fiercely.

"Your heads," one of them responded slowly and maliciously.

"Take them, then, if you can," Roxas challenged, summoning his keyblade with a flash of silver light.

* * *

"I hope Riku's not mad," Yuri fretted to Kairi. "He hasn't really been on the magic network since our fight…"

Kairi giggled a little. "Yuri, he's just a boy, calm down. He's fine," she assured her. "He'll get over it."

She zoned out into the words spread across the gigantic book she was perusing, wishing Riku would come to get her, praying that Hana wasn't being too horrible, missing her friends, hoping none of them were hurt…

"Hana and Riku here… we found a sphere," her walkie-talkie went off.

"They found one!" Kairi exclaimed happily, jumping up to give Yuri a hug. "Can you believe it?"

Yuri forced a smile. "It's great, yeah! I'm so glad Hana is on our side, and I'm glad everyone is okay." It _was_ a good thing, but she wanted to be there…

"I remember the day we all met you," Kairi smiled slightly as she reminisced. "I'm so glad for that…"

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

After the death of Naminé's parents, she, Sora, Riku, and Roxas left Westcastle. It became overrun with Adherence members… way too many for them to handle. Before long, Kairi, the female keyblade wielder, was forced from her village as well, and met up with the other fighters outside of Westcastle in the woods. Naminé felt constantly depressed that she had allowed her parents to die; even the great friendships that were forming between her and each individual boy couldn't shake her feelings of self-loathing.

"We really have to do something other than hide in the woods," Riku pointed out several days after Kairi's arrival. "We're the only resistance this place has, and we have to help."

"Right," Naminé sighed, "but what should we do?"

Silence. They were severely outnumbered no matter what; even magic would not be able to even the odds enough for them to take on the Adherence alone.

"What about the Queen?" Kairi suggested. "I was on my way to the castle, actually, before I felt Sora and Riku here."

"The prophecy," Naminé suddenly recalled, wide-eyed. "I thought that was just silly legend…"

"Prophecy?" Sora repeated, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"It has long been said that the keyblade warriors alone could protect the Queen in times of peril," Naminé told them, furious with herself for discrediting such an old tale. "Nobody puts much stock in it, though."

Riku stifled a laugh. "Naminé, be serious… everyone knows that's just a story. Nobody even knew what a keyblade was until the four of us cropped up with the strange power. Honestly, what can we do for the Queen?"

"Well…"

"Think about it," Roxas stepped to Naminé's defense. "Who else can help her? She can't do this alone, and our military is, well… almost non-existent. We never needed it, so we don't really have it."

"And you think _we _can help?" Riku asked skeptically. "There are only five of us."

"We, Riku, are the only ones who can," Naminé answered firmly. "My parents died because of these people, and I want to get them out of here. The Queen is our only chance."

He sighed deeply, frustrated and completely unmotivated to argue with his friends. "I'm not trying to be disagreeable; I'm just attempting to think logically. What can she do for us if we're supposed to be protecting her?"

"Either way, it's worth going to see her and asking," Sora took the side of Roxas, Naminé, and Kairi.

"I guess," Riku relented, "but let's just hope none of us dies while we're trying to get in there."

They set out from the woods that night, creeping through the trees and brush instead of taking the trail, which was certainly being watched by the enemy. Being only sixteen, having fun whenever possible was simply too tempting, and the sneaking suddenly turned into a game—whoever made the least amount of noise was the winner. Naminé was clearly the best, and spent the entire trip across the open area toward the castle teasing Riku, the runner-up.

By the time they arrived, it was dawn, and Adherence members were popping up in small groups, attempting to force their way through the castle's protective spells. Having no knowledge of Hollow Bastion's magic or of the best way to combat the legendary keyblades, most were taken down easily.

Enemies trickled around the castle all day, and the five fighters diligently protected the castle as though it were their own home, caring nothing for their own well-being. Around twilight, all five were exhausted, and prayed fiercely that no more enemies would turn up. As the sun set, a woman dressed in black dropped from the top of the wall, slowing her momentum with magic, and landing softly on the ground directly in front of them.

Instinctively, Sora, Riku, and Roxas drew their weapons, but Kairi and Naminé were much more reluctant to threaten the stranger. "Who are you?" Naminé demanded with an attempt at intimidation.

"A messenger," she whispered. "Come, grab on to me—you must see the Queen."

"You'll take us through the spell?" Riku asked suspiciously.

Though most of her face was covered by a mask, her mouth, still visible, smiled. "You could have come through all along, but yes, I will bring you through."

Without another question, they formed a human chain, each linking arms securely as the woman led them through the barrier and called for the drawbridge to be opened. It creaked slowly down before thudding thunderously against the ground in front of them. "She is most interested to meet you," the woman in black assured them all, leading them across the drawbridge and into the main hall of the castle.

The walk to the throne room felt as though it took ages. Nobody spoke; not even the messenger. Naminé was a bit too nervous to take in the splendor of her surroundings, while Riku noted the marble floors, artwork on the walls, and magical artifacts with precise detail. When the large door to the throne room was finally in sight, Naminé breathed a sigh of relief—the Queen was just on the other side…

When they entered the room, the messenger shut the door tightly behind them. The entire hall was made of marble, with a raised pedestal in the back of the room on which a golden throne sat. Massive golden chandeliers dangled impressively from the ceiling, illuminating the polished floor in such a way that it appeared like sleek, smooth ice. A long, fluffy, dark blue colored carpet formed the path to the throne, and the messenger marched up the trail determinedly.

The throne was empty.

"Um… where is she?" Kairi asked expectantly, craning her neck every which way as though she was missing whatever she was supposed to see.

No answer. The messenger was nearing the throne, and they waited for a spectacular feat of magic, after which the Queen would appear, but nothing came. Very suddenly, the woman was standing in front of the throne, head bowed, and she whirled around and sat down gracefully. One wave of her hand stripped her of her disguise and in the place of the black-clad woman sat a girl adorned in a long, white dress, with blonde, wavy hair flowing down her back. Her blue eyes flashed, and a very simple diamond circlet appeared from nowhere, settling on her head. She was beautiful; there was only one person in the entire universe that it could be.

"Present," she meekly replied to Kairi's question. "I'm sorry for tricking you…"

And suddenly, Naminé knew that coming to the castle and meeting her was the right thing… because she could hear what Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, and even the Queen herself were thinking in her internal web of magic.

End three-part flashback. :D

Well? I can promise you that next chapter, we WILL catch up with Korin, because she's been hard at work plotting... XD Roxas and Namine fight for their lives beneath the bank, while Sora discovers his hidden power and Yuri and Kairi are needed on the battle front!

It is likely I will also post summaries of my two ideas for my next story in the next chapter as well and have you all weigh in on which you would like me to write. Lots of stuff in chapter 27; it's going to be a very important one... keep an eye out! :D

Thank you for reading, remember to REVIEW!

Love,

Lulala


	27. Korin's Eyes

Haha, I have been gone for quite some time, and for that, I apologize. College is tough work and I was having a lot of trouble adjusting. I swear, my teachers think I am superhuman with the amount of work they give... XD Anyway, we had a request awhile back for some character development of Korin. I was more than happy to comply, haha. This scene has been planned for quite some time--it's rather small for a chapter, haha, but it's what I have right now that is worth posting. I'll get posting again SOON, though. Promise. THANK YOU to everyone that kept reading while I was gone... :D I appreciate it lots.

* * *

As she did it, she didn't feel remorseful—Ran groomed her to be emotionless when it came to her tasks, and there was a reason she was a leader—she was the best. Face stone cold, they screamed; she didn't respond. Her eyes went strangely blank as if predicting what was to come for those her glacial expression terrified. Ran instructed her to make quick of them—easy. With robotic precision, she executed, and they fell.

Her mind, a machine, rarely strayed from its task, rarely encumbered her with emotion, rarely behaved like a normal person's mind. She wasn't normal or anything near it, which is perhaps why the strange heat of an unfamiliar shame creeping up her cheeks as she performed her task bothered her so deeply. Nothing was wrong with doing what Ran asked… frankly, it was about to become the only way to survive. These people deserved to die… at least, that's what she was supposed to believe.

The darkness in Korin's eyes had never been such an invasive charcoal before. Having left Hollow Bastion to complete her mission, she felt strangely devoid of magic—almost as if a giant vacuum had viciously sucked every ounce of power from her body. Feeling weak meant feeling uncomfortable, though the efficacy her magic still worked with bolstered her confidence bit by bit as people began to die at her hands. Avenging Hiro was all she wanted, and with the dull thud of each body, she moved one step closer. At least… that's what she was supposed to think.

She loved her brother. Her eyes grew darker and fiercer as she mulled over her solitary position. Being alone normally didn't bother her. The house was empty—nothing living save her—but her contemplation stalled her from quickly attending to the next victims. Hiro would condone what she was doing, she knew he would. He raised her to be tough and look after herself. Of course he'd want her to kill the girl that was responsible for his death. Sharp, clear images of a flashbulb memory burned in her mind, projecting the images she smothered for years in front of her eyes. Every detail of his facial expression just before Naminé's spell blasted him obscured her vision; with a great mental heave, she disposed of the painful moment for the thousandth time (luckily it had taken over while she was conscious, since she couldn't stop it from dominating her dreams) and moved on to the next home and the next victims.

As they died, she vaguely wondered—very uncharacteristic of her—whether the faces of their children or siblings were flashing before their eyes; whether they had realized the doppelgangers that she dismantled first, whether they wondered where their real children or siblings were. With each murder, her eyes fell deeper into the midnight abyss conquering them. She didn't feel badly for what she had done… Naminé needed to be destroyed, after all, and while she lived, Korin wouldn't rest.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure luring them back to a place so surrounded with defenseless, fragile humans was the best idea. On Ran's part, it was brilliant—they would surrender to prevent the harm of others, and die a pathetic death… and then Ran would be in control. How would life be? Would life _be_ at all?

Truthfully, Korin wasn't so sure.

* * *

A very eerie (and informative) view through Korin's eyes. I'll be back soon... :D

Review please!


	28. New Powers

Lulala. Is. A. Failure! XD

Except this is a really really really long eventful chapter, WOOT! So I did not work for nothing! Very exciting business. I apologize as usual for my lengthy absence--just remember, I'll always come back, haha. Eventually. This time I come back with a bang. :D Thank you so much for reviewing, favoriting, and everything in my absence. Honestly, it means the world to me, as you all know, since I reply rather swiftly, haha.

**HERIA.  
**Excellent question you have raised here. For those of you who do not poke through the reviews, haha, the question about which keyblades the gang are carrying. WELL, they DO have specific ones, of course. Would you expect any less of me? XD No, I won't tell you which they are, though--HOWEVER, I will add descriptions, and we'll see if you can deduce who is carrying what! :D Keep an eye out during the next few chapters. Their weapons will be revealed! Won't be too hard, either... you could probably guess now for some of them. XD

Anyway. REEEAD on.

* * *

It was dawn, and the residents of Port Pine were awakening. A disguised Riku and Hana slowly walked the streets, hoping for Riku to catch a glimmer of a clue through listening in on the thoughts of anyone who happened to be nearby.

"Anything?" Hana murmured expectantly.

"Of course not," Riku whispered. "We haven't been here long." He peered sideways at her, scrutinizing her face before she had a chance to notice. Relieved that she didn't appear particularly upset, he resigned himself to slowly following her lead. Turn after turn, they wove around the side streets, and Hana kept a close eye on Riku's facial expression, hoping it would reveal when he heard something.

Truthfully, his concentration was not nearly what it should have been. Yuri's face swam across his mind, relaxing what should have been alert. The face he imagined smiled at him, just the way she used to. Warmth and beauty Riku had admired so frequently radiated from that smile, _his _smile—she had never managed a smile like that for anyone else. She didn't smile anymore—at least, she wouldn't when she saw him again, or if she ever discovered what had occurred between he and Hana in the cavern. He didn't stop it, and she'd consider herself betrayed. She had always suspected, and Riku hated himself for proving her even slightly correct.

He wondered if he had made a mistake in telling her how he truly felt. Chances were, it would only hurt her more deeply. She had a window directly into his mind… even if he was careful, keeping the events between he and Hana secret would be nearly impossible. She was most attuned to Riku's voice, and he would relive the shameful moment many times—every time, she would hear it. What could he do to prevent it? He knew Naminé would sigh at the simplicity of the answer to his problem, and he knew it was the right thing to do. Telling the truth was the only way.

She'd run from him, and he'd have to live with it.

Hana wrinkled her nose. "Have you heard anything worth looking into yet?" she questioned of Riku impatiently.

He couldn't resist rolling his eyes, even though he could sympathize—she was probably ridiculously bored, waiting for him to uncover something enormous that he wasn't searching even a bit diligently for. "There might not be anything here, you know."

"No, there is," she insisted, avoiding his gaze as he eyed her disbelievingly. "I'm sure of it." Well, she _seemed_ certain, but that didn't mean much. With each minute that passed, she forgot more and more of her time with the Adherence, making her assertions less and less reliable.

"How can you be sure?"

"How was I sure about the cavern?"

"You weren't."

She sighed heavily, staring into space as they slowly walked along. Without looking at him, she said, "Riku, I know you miss Yuri, I know you're worried. I would appreciate it if you'd stop cross-analyzing me, stop thinking about her, and focus. I know it's here." Her voice was somewhat empty, as though she fully did not expect him to comply with her requests, but she figured she'd say it just for the formality.

"You _know_?" Riku turned toward her and cocked an eyebrow challengingly.

Hana managed to break her incessant staring at nothing, but only for a moment in order to roll her eyes. "See? You missed the whole point of what I just said."

Riku smirked briefly, just long enough for Hana to see it, but didn't reply. Obviously, he ignored her on purpose, which annoyed her pretty severely. Riku was a huge pain, in her opinion, and she cursed Naminé silently for being placed with such an entirely useless partner. "I'll keep listening," Riku finally said, though his tone seemed to suggest that 'listening' was a rather loose and undeterminable action, and how much he ought to be doing it wasn't really certain.

"You do that," Hana replied tonelessly, rolling her eyes once more.

* * *

Roxas was paired up with the larger of the two Adherence members, and luckily, he was not quite as accomplished with magic as the one Naminé was tied up with. He wielded a large, rusty sword—Roxas briefly wondered if the purpose of the rust was to make death even more painful for his victims—and was surprisingly mobile with it, though Roxas largely attributed his enormous biceps to this. He supposed he should have been intimidated, but it was difficult to intimidate someone who had the power of the keyblade on their side and a witch as skilled as Naminé behind him.

Unfortunately, none of that made the fighting any easier. His muscles were still bulging, and he was still quicker than Roxas could fathom. Every time his enormous blade clanged against the keyblade, Roxas felt the jangle all the way through to his bones, the vibration discomforting as he tried to overpower his enemy. He and Naminé were sending quick messages back and forth to be sure that neither of them would become overpowered without the other knowing.

_Be careful of that spell I just blocked from this guy_, Naminé warned Roxas harshly. _If it hits, it's fatal, and he doesn't seem to have any difficulty casting it._

_Perfect_, Roxas sighed internally. Nothing was better than risking your life daily! He kept a close eye on Naminé after that, ferociously blocking out images of what it might look like if she died.

After barely ducking a swing of the huge sword, Roxas decided it was time to bring a little magic into the mix. Granted, he wasn't especially gifted with magic, but he did know some basics, and at that point, he would have given nearly anything to be rid of the large, intimidating Adherence member. He was sweating all over, absolutely dripping with it, and his muscles were already groaning every time they were forced to move.

Much to the dismay of his very tired legs, he backed away quickly from the enemy, who luckily took the bait and lunged after him despite his keyblade still being poised to defend. The huge man swung his sword again at Roxas's head, attempting to answer his challenge, and Roxas heaved the keyblade upward with his right arm to stop the blow, while he shot a very simple spell from his left hand at the man's wide open gut.

"Nice try," he hissed as the spell glanced off a translucent magic shield that appeared out of nowhere.

_His belt! _Naminé immediately called out to Roxas. _There is a permanent shield spell on his belt. As long as he is wearing it, you won't be able to use magic!_

_Um_, Roxas began, bracing the keyblade with all his might for another painful blow from the sword, _how do you propose I remove his belt? Cause if this battle is a physical one, I'm not sure I can win_. The sword made contact, sending another uncomfortable ripple all the way to Roxas's toes.

_Cut it off_.

Roxas grinned slightly. It was a start—but obviously, a task like that was easier said than done. The precision it would take to cut it off seemed almost pointless, but Roxas was not sure he could win without magic. Even taking the direct route of injuring him with the keyblade seemed more out of reach than cutting off his belt, which left Roxas at a bit of an impasse. Both tasks loomed large and nearly impossible in front of him as his keyblade took more abuse from his adversary's massive, sharpened hunk of rust.

_Roxas_, Naminé called softly. He snuck a glance.

_No! _Her nose was clearly broken, mouth and chin covered in blood. Naminé was not accustomed to physical injury of any kind, and Roxas could feel her shock as she lamely continued to defend herself. Her eyes looked distant, as though she was slipping into a daydream. She didn't reach to wipe away any of the blood—it freely dribbled onto her clothing, leaving dark stains where it fell. Sluggish movement was all she could manage, and her eyes began to match the blood as she gave herself to the magic, unable to think.

A fist sunk into her gut, a spell blasted her sternum. _No! Naminé!_

An unfamiliar power ripped into Roxas's chest, corrupting his entire core. It took control, surging through his limbs and giving him strength he had never before possessed. He could feel it beating inside his head, knocking against his skull as it took over his brain. With enormous and uncharacteristic strength, he heaved his aggressor ten feet backward, his reason and logic slipping away. His eyes painfully transformed, pupils expanding enormously while his irises became the vivid, glowing crimson of Hollow Bastion's magic.

He placed both hands on the handle of his keyblade, and with a very sudden noise of grinding metal, ripped it in two. In one hand, one blade, silver with two thin spindles that came together at the tip into a star and wings that formed the handle; in the other, a black and sinister looking thing, with pointed, bat-like wings forming the handle and a black and gray pattern on the hilt. Breathing ragged, he hunched over, losing control of his limbs. He dashed forward, keyblades swinging. Forming them into an 'X', he easily blocked a blow from his opponent, eyes widening in a frightening way of their own accord. He saw the fear buried beneath the strong expression of the large Adherence member's face, and he fed on it.

With a forceful jerk, he sliced the rusty sword in half. With a flick of his wrist, the black keyblade removed his opponent's belt, and through the white keyblade, Roxas shot the largest spell he had ever done straight into the stomach of his opponent. Without stopping to see if he had survived the blow, he made for Naminé's aggressor, who had scarcely been able to move given Roxas's frightening and unexpected transformation. Naminé sat nearby on the ground, knees curled to her injured chest, eyes still red as a poorly cast shield hovered around her.

In another wild and uncontrollable burst of anger, Roxas cut down Naminé's opponent. Willing his limbs to stop, willing the fire in his veins to subside did no good. The magic raged with his anger, controlling him and possessing him. Strategy, forethought, planning… those were Roxas's strengths. In this state, he was a monster, no longer himself.

Both Adherence members were dead. Clearly, when Hollow Bastion wanted something done, it wasted no time choosing a vessel through which it would satisfy its demand. Hollow Bastion was protecting Naminé, and it chose Roxas as its ally, as its human form. This power had never come to him before because Naminé's life had never been threatened in that way before. Never had she been so threatened that she could not bring herself to act, that the magic had to act for her. The sight of her own blood had disturbed her so thoroughly that she probably went into some sort of shock.

Roxas desperately wished the magic would leave him. He was tired, and Naminé was injured… but he couldn't go near her while he was like this. He could hurt her worse than she was already hurt. Slowly, he felt himself coming back into his right mind. The strength he was so unaccustomed to was fading and his eyes returned to their normal blue. Anger was replaced by urgency.

He rushed forward just as Naminé's shield collapsed, catching her gently while she fell forward. She felt so small and broken. Blood coated her chin and cheeks, and her midsection felt a bit out of sorts—broken ribs were likely the cause. It seemed the casualties would never stop coming for them. Yuri had just been stabbed, and in one moment of weakness, Naminé had sustained a broken nose, broken ribs, and who knew what else.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked softly, using his sleeve to brush the red from her face. "Say something, if you can…"

"It hurts," she whispered. The color in her eyes hadn't faded.

He put his arms around her, unable to quell his shaking. "I am so sorry."

"My fault," she sighed plainly, emotionlessly.

"We've got to get back to the castle, perhaps Kairi could—"

"The sphere," she reminded him softly. "We must get it."

Roxas carefully picked Naminé up, cradling her in his arms, and began down the long, dingy tunnel.

"Roxas."

"Naminé, don't…"

"Roxas, the man I fought has the sphere in his pocket. That's what distracted me… I saw it."

Turning around swiftly, he carried her toward where the Adherence members lie. "I'm going to set you down," he told her softly. She didn't seem to be aware of the world around her at all.

Pick-pocketing the dead Adherence member felt more wrong than almost anything Roxas had ever done. He located the sphere inside a large pocket in the man's jacket, and moved right along, unable to look back and think about what he had just done.

_Roxas, bring her back_, Kairi commanded. _She's not right, we need to help her before you guys can continue. We'll send Akiko and Axel to continue from where you left off_.

Roxas had absolutely no arguments on that matter. Slowly, carefully, as though one touch would break her, he picked her up again, chilled by her paling complexion. Something was definitely wrong. "We're going back to the castle now," he said for Naminé's benefit, though it didn't seem like she was listening. Staring at the ceiling, eyes at last blue again, she didn't move an inch when Roxas spoke.

He didn't even give a second thought to how the spell surrounding the bank might react to being teleported through, and he didn't much care. Summoning all of the magic he could muster, he felt the dingy passage melting away in favor of the Queen's chamber in the castle. There, Kairi and Yuri, who was shockingly up and moving, waited with bandages and magical knowledge to heal what they could.

"Axel and Akiko," Kairi said very clearly into a walkie-talkie. "Urgent reassignment, please respond."

"Where do you want us?" came Axel's crackly voice.

"Proceed immediately to the town of Westcastle and put up one of our shields to ensure that Adherence members cannot get in. Immediately!" she repeated for emphasis.

When they landed in the room, Roxas felt the ground shudder a bit underneath him—Naminé would give him hell later for such a 'rough' landing. Yuri and Kairi gasped at the sight of her. Roxas's heart broke a bit when she started to cry. She screwed up, and she knew it. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to forgive herself very easily.

"Put her over here," Yuri suggested shakily, leading Roxas toward the enormous bed. "Right here…"

Roxas laid her down as gently as he could. She still seemed extraordinarily upset as Kairi and Yuri tended to her that her tears only became more and more numerous. Roxas hoisted himself up onto the bed while Kairi and Yuri muttered about spells and remedies. He crawled behind Naminé and shifted her so that she was situated between his legs, back resting against his chest. He let his arms fall carefully across her shoulders in a very light and comforting embrace.

"What's wrong?" he whispered concernedly.

"It hurts," she said again. "Never this badly before."

"Listen to me," Roxas attempted to divert her attention while she watched Yuri casting spells on her ribs with widened eyes. "Listen. You will be just fine. We're all fine today. In a few minutes, it will be like this never happened." He kissed from her forehead into her hair. "Please, listen to me."

"I was so weak, Roxas," she sighed sadly. "If it weren't for you…"

"I live to protect you," he declared. "We all make mistakes, each and every day. They were so strong, Naminé, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"But…"

Roxas shushed her softly. "Just be still. Let them fix you. I love you, and I couldn't bear losing you."

Thankfully, she did as she was told. Roxas had used one of the words that both frightened and thrilled her, so he assumed she was probably pondering over that while Kairi and Yuri continued to examine her, curing her nose injury with magic and carefully cleaning the blood from her skin. The rib injuries were easily mended by Yuri. Her sternum had taken an incredible hit without any damage at all, which was a miracle, and it didn't seem there was anything else wrong with her.

"Let me run down and see if there's any food I can bring." Yuri hastened from the room.

"I'll be right back—just going to quickly check on everyone and make sure Axel and Akiko secured the town," Kairi said, dashing out onto the balcony.

Roxas pulled the sphere from his pocket and set it next to them on the bed. "We got it," he reminded her. "We went in there and got what we went for."

"No thanks to me," she sighed. "I'm sorry for failing you, Roxas. I just saw the sphere and suddenly I was thinking about everything we said before climbing down the ladder, and what would happen if I died…"

"Don't apologize," he replied, "there's no need at all."

"And I don't think I have ever bled that much before," she said, sounding almost embarrassed. "I got scared, and I flipped. Though not nearly as much as you flipped…"

Roxas smiled a little, pleased that she was returning to her old self. "I think we found my helper power. It only comes out when you're bleeding copiously."

"Well, it proved itself useful," she smiled. "What happened, anyway? I just remember being scared…"

"I'm not sure," Roxas began. "I felt so angry that he hurt you, and a magic I have never felt before kind of possessed me, I suppose… that's the best way to say it… and let me tell you, it wasn't pain-free!"

Naminé leaned against him silently. Several minutes passed before she had anything to offer in response. "It seems that the land has a lot more to teach us than we thought. Perhaps we don't fully understand the functions and capabilities of what we're dealing with," she thought aloud. "What do you think?"

"Well, I never knew it could live vicariously through us," he shrugged. "But there's a lot I don't know about Hollow Bastion and the magic."

"Yuri probably has some more insight into this," Naminé guessed. "I feel foolish. We've been using this magic for so long without understanding it!"

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we'll never understand it."

Naminé closed her eyes, an almost pained expression on her face. "It's a bad idea to use it if it can act independently, if we lose control."

"I'm the only one who loses control," Roxas reminded her, an edge of bitterness in his voice. His outburst was still a mystery. Nobody besides Yuri, Naminé, and Akiko could access the magic that they knew of, so why suddenly could he?

"Maybe it only comes when you're angry," Naminé offered, softly stroking his arm in comfort. "Really angry."

"Or when you are injured," Roxas reminded her. "Maybe it's protecting you."

A long moment of silence. Naminé tilted her head up so she could see Roxas's face. "I never thought of it that way before."

"I'm scared," Roxas confessed quietly, staring into space. "I don't want it to happen again… I don't like being controlled."

"Maybe you can control it." Naminé sounded like she was already deep in thought, devising ways to teach Roxas to call the power to him when he needed it. "If you could control it…"

"We'd be unstoppable," Roxas finished for her. "This conflict would be over very quickly."

Naminé hesitated. "I don't think we can kill Ran without the spheres."

"Of course not."

Naminé lay against Roxas's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat while he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. Thoughts of the unruly, mysterious magic left both of their minds, and for that moment, both simply mulled over being together, and being alive.

* * *

"I'm sorry I can't run as fast as you," Yuffie apologized for the third time.

"It's okay—I cheat," Sora replied, shouting over the noise of the wind whipping against them. After just moments of running away from the village they had erected the shield over, it became apparent that there was no way that Yuffie would be able to keep up with Sora. The only solution, it seemed, was for Sora to carry Yuffie on his back to the next town.

"I wish I could use magic like you!" she sighed longingly.

Sora laughed, but wasn't feeling cheerful at all. He was preoccupied thinking of a moment, hours ago, when Kairi had stopped watching him. Namely, how did he know that she had stopped?

A soft ping echoed in Sora's mind. Naminé had just cast a spell, and a violent one at that—she and Roxas were fighting. He shook his head, feeling crazy, delusional, out of his mind. _What an active imagination_, he scoffed to himself.

Roxas and Naminé's conversation popped into Sora's mind, and as she mentioned a fatal spell, he grew worried. Moments later, Roxas casted a spell. What? Roxas cast a spell? Inconceivable—he _never _did, unless he absolutely had to. Whatever kind of trouble they were in, Sora was positive it was serious. Wait—he just imagined that he knew Roxas casted a simple spell, when in reality, he could never know such a thing, as Roxas was miles away. What in the world was going on?

"You okay?" Yuffie poked his cheek curiously. "You're staring."

"I…" Sora sighed. He really was out of his mind. "I'm fine… I think."

Magic. Enormous magic, somewhere far away. Death. People dying. People he loved very much, being killed by magic. Korin's magic, Adherence magic. Earth. Korin, killing people, casting fatal spells on Earth. Was he crazy, or was he right?

"Yuffie, I just… take us back to the castle!" he shouted. "Something terrible has just happened."

* * *

Yuri had returned moments later with soup and bread for Naminé to eat, and had settled in a large armchair near the bed, where Roxas and Naminé were both still seated. Devouring her chicken noodle soup ravenously, Naminé didn't say much, but Roxas and Yuri discussed what had happened to him in the passageway.

"It took control," she repeated, after Roxas had finished his explanation. One of her eyebrows was raised in a manner that Roxas didn't at all appreciate, but he ignored it as best he could. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he responded quietly, very much hating the feeling of being thought crazy. "It felt like fire under my skin… I had no idea what to do with it, I just wanted to get rid of it." He stared at his knees.

She tapped her chin in thought. "Definitely Hollow Bastion," Yuri conceded, squinting a bit as she tried to sort it out in her head. "You didn't do anything to bring the magic to you?"

"I was so angry," Roxas recounted. "Angrier than ever. I didn't want someone else to get hurt…"

"Well, I think your power has been here all along, Roxas," Yuri declared. "You just never were in the situation to summon it. I don't think it's meant to be used to save your own life, though… I think Hollow Bastion will only respond to you when you choose to be selfless with the magic."

Roxas had no clue how she had managed to squeeze such a complicated solution out so quickly. Oh, well—that's magical brilliance for you. "Does it work the same way for you?"

She chuckled a bit. "Oh, no. Not for me. Naminé would be a better person to ask. It does work differently for all of us… but as I'm the Queen, it really has to do my bidding whether it likes it or not. Sure, it could deny me if I were using it to evil ends, but I'm not."

Roxas turned to Naminé just as she slurped up the last noodle. Her eyes widened, like those of a child who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Cheeks reddening with embarrassment, she set her bowl aside. "Well… I suppose it does work much more willingly when I'm not using it to save myself," she mused. "For example, one of the best spells I've ever done was when I defended you from Korin."

"Guys!" a panicked Sora, toting an extremely confused Yuffie, popped into the room. "Something is happening…"

"Explain," Yuri demanded, rising sharply from her chair. Immediately, she assumed her queenly stance—rigid, perfect posture, chest puffed slightly outward, hands balled into fists at her side.

"Listen… this is going to sound crazy, but all day, I've been hearing things…"

"That does sound crazy," Naminé murmured to Roxas.

"Heard that," Sora snapped. "Hearing things as in… spells. I know when people cast spells."

"Sora, feeling flares of magic is perfectly normal—"

"No," he interrupted, immediately feeling sorry when Yuri looked angry. "It's not that. I know who… and where… and what spell."

Naminé and Yuri exchanged a glance. "Hollow Bastion has been extremely kind with its helper powers today," Yuri said with a small smile. "I believe you've found yours, Sora."

"Useful as heck," Roxas commented. "Seriously! You can track down anyone who is doing magic at a given time, and know who it is and exactly where they are! You're like a lethal assassin, Sora."

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Sora, pleased by Roxas's choice of words. "Useful, yes," Sora continued. "I think someone needs to go to Earth."

"Why?" Yuri asked warily.

"I think… I felt Korin killing people."

* * *

Hmm. Well, it's been a busy day in Hollow Bastion! I'll update again very soon. I mean it. :D Review, please! You know I love hearing from you.

Love,

Lulala


	29. Broken

Hey, everyone! :D

So much has happened since I posted last, haha! If you're looking for good summer reading, I would recommend the Inheritance Cycle or the Mortal Instruments trilogy... that's what I've been doing all summer. :D I also received my first flame ever, on Somebodies... I can see why everyone hates them now. It really wasn't a nice feeling, but mainly because it was a dig on an OC. If you're reading this and are going to flame me, at least be brave enough to sign in and leave your name.

As always, enormous, hippo-sized thank yous to all who have continued to read and review, even though I'm such a bad author when it comes to posting regularly. You are too good to me. Shout out to **samuraistar**, who returned to ffnet recently also. :D

I have said this so many times, but really, **this is the biggest chapter I have ever posted, EVER**. Over 7,000 words. Hope you're comfortable where you are! :D Because I've been working hard on this for QUITE some time, haha. More keyblade descriptions in here--Riku and Sora's this time. :D Enjoy!

* * *

A ball of white light sat gently in Korin's palm, Ran's rigid, expressionless face visible within it. "Shall I wait here, then?" Korin asked softly.

"Yes. I'll soon be joining you." Ran chuckled softly. "I'll bring our best with me."

Korin stared blankly into the light of the ball, gaze drifting out of focus as she strategized in her head. Bringing their best from the places they were guarding in Hollow Bastion could mean that more than half of the world would fall today, assuming the Queen's fighters were on the offensive. The number of places the Adherence had held for over ten years that would be taken made Korin seriously concerned. "I apologize for my stupidity, but if you don't mind my questioning, why should we remove the best from the places they guard?"

The corners of Ran's mouth curled upward. "Korin, you're not thinking ahead. Who cares if those places become overrun? The final battle is not taking place here in Hollow Bastion. Once Yuri and her fighters are dead, claiming our positions again will be easier than it was years ago."

_But what if Yuri… if Riku… if Naminé do not fall?_ Korin thought. They had been outwitted by their enemies many times before. Not wanting to draw attention to the many times she had failed and their opponents had prevailed combined with not wanting to question Ran again kept her silent. Clearly, Ran had thought things through and was doing what she knew was best. She had kept the Adherence afloat for so very long that Korin had no reason to distrust her logic now.

"Either way, I've done what you ordered," Korin said, shaking doubts from her mind. The queen and her fighters _would_ fall, and she would be the one to strike them down. "How long until they realize what I've done, do you think?"

Ran pondered the question for a moment, running her thumb across the tips of the long, sharp fingernails on her right hand. "It's difficult to say. Yuri would find it difficult to watch us in her condition, as well as with her magic. She relies heavily on Hollow Bastion, and I do not think that the magic she can draw upon directly in that world is any good where you are."

"Yes, we can only pray it is not," Korin added. "At any rate, we'll have plenty of time to get ourselves set up here before they arrive." She hesitated, knowing her next suggestion would probably not be well received. "I also think you should check the hiding places of your… valuables… before coming here."

As if the reaction was automatic, Ran's hand darted for the small but bright red spherical pendant of her necklace. An eerie glow always surrounded the pendant, and if Korin simply concentrated, the pulsing magic of Hollow Bastion was easy to feel within it.

"There's no way they could know about that." Her face was stone; unmoving, expressionless, and without the smallest glimmer of normal human warmth. "But as you probably know, I have already taken care of the matter and ordered some of our strongest to remove them from their hiding places and carry them. It's none of your concern."

Korin hesitated again. "But Ran, Hana—"

"Worry not about that betrayer. I have taken measures to ensure that information is not revealed."

"By now, she will have spilled every secret out to Riku—"

"I said worry not!" she snapped harshly. "It is not your concern."

Hiding something. Ran was _hiding something _from _her_! From the tone in her voice, Korin knew it was something big—_very _big, perhaps a fathomless secret of their organization. No matter how big the secret seemed, no matter how much the curiosity burned within her, Korin could not press the matter unless she wished to end up like Hana. With a great heave, she pushed all of her doubts from her mind and refocused on her task.

"As you wish," she replied to Ran. "I shall await your arrival."

Right now, doubting anything was not an option. She had to be stronger than ever before. Without iron determination and the best fight of her life, Naminé would never fall, and Korin's first priority—even before her allegiance to Ran—was taking Naminé's life. She sat on the carpet, folded her legs, and slipped into a meditative state. _Naminé _will _die today_, she chanted to herself.

* * *

In Port Pine, the docks were already awake, busy with bustling fisherman, hurrying back to their booths in the marketplace with the morning catch. The hollow clunk of hard soled shoes against wood echoed as the churning, murky water chanced a brief but audible slosh here and there. Small fishing boats were tied up to the large posts on the docks, filled with fishing nets and supplies. As the sun rose, the sky was stained a cherry red, gray wisps of clouds swirling throughout.

"Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning," Riku recited the old saying irrelevantly. Hana rolled her eyes, but didn't comment.

"You know what I've noticed?" Riku began thoughtfully. Hana braced herself for what was probably just a remark to avoid the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon them since their last skirmish in the town. "In every story you'll ever hear, sea-faring men have peg legs. I've been to this town loads of times, and never once have I seen a man with a peg leg. Where do these crazy myths come from?"

_Really? _Momentarily, Hana was almost embarrassed for him, but quickly decided she'd rather just smack him one. Why was it that when it came to serious matters, he could never keep the unrelated personal matters out of it? Their task right now was finding the remaining spheres, not avoiding awkward silences brought on by unrequited feelings. "Riku, I honestly think that it's okay if it's silent. You don't have to talk."

He smirked. "Maybe I just like to hear my own voice."

"Can't say that would shock me."

He inhaled sharply. In faux anguish, he said, "You think I'm selfish!"

"I never said that." In spite of herself, she allowed the corners of her mouth to turn upward. Teasing Riku was fun before he left, and she was glad to find that it still was.

Riku crossed his arms. "You didn't have to say anything, and you still said it! I can hear the undertones of what you're saying. Wanna know what I'm hearing? Total jealousy, that's what."

With a momentary scowl, Hana snapped back, "Jealousy over what?"

Riku sighed resignedly. "Hana, Hana, Hana… my good looks and charming personality are the envy of everyone," he explained slowly, as though she were a child in the first steps of learning something as basic as the alphabet.

"Keep at it, and you'll charm the vomit right out of my stomach," Hana said sweetly.

"Relax!" Riku shrugged off-handedly. "Only joking."

"I wasn't! Seriously, every moment doesn't have to be filled with conversation. In fact, if you're going to talk about peg legs, I'd rather you not talk at all. They creep me out," she said.

Riku peered sideways at her innocently. "Who said I was going to talk about peg legs?"

"You did, not twenty seconds ago!"

"Yeah, well, I wasn't really talking about them, was I? I was just registering my astonishment that I have never seen a man with one, when traditionally, if you have a boat and a parrot, you know… you have one. There are plenty of men around here with both boats and a bird of some kind, but the peg legs are only conspicuous in their absence." He smiled a perfect, angelic smile.

"You. Are. Impossible," she growled through gritted teeth.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Just trying to make a logical observation."

"Failing," she informed him nastily.

"So you've seen a man with a peg leg, then? When?"

"_Seriously_—"

"No, really, I'd like to know if you have—"

"WOULD YOU—"

A huge flare of magic that could only be a sphere stopped Hana completely dead in her verbal tracks. She noticed Riku stiffen up a bit and assumed that he could feel it as well. He let the ridiculous subject die as they tried to move slowly without moving slowly enough to be suspicious. Silently, each was focused so intensely on the source of power that neither found it prudent to blink for fear of breaking their concentration. The tricky thing about sensing magic was that it could be close up and weaker, or further away and stronger, and it might feel like it was in the same location. As such, actually locating flares of magic was on occasion very difficult, but letting a sphere slip away was absolutely out of the question.

"It's moving," Riku muttered. "Someone is carrying it."

"I know," Hana replied sharply. She wasn't stupid, after all—she had the same skills in sensing the magic as Riku did. "But who? There's nobody around here but fishermen."

Riku bit his lip as they continued along the main dock, eyes snapping from fisherman to fisherman. "I'm more concerned with why it's being moved than who is moving it…"

Hana nodded once, immediately agreeing. From her very fuzzy, mostly unattainable memories of her time with the Adherence, she felt purely based on instinct and what she knew of Ran's character that the leader would not ever suggest moving the spheres, since, if Hana's memory served, Ran had hand-chosen the hiding places. Not only that, but Hana was inclined to assume, since she could not produce a reliable memory to indicate otherwise, that Ran had personally performed any spells protecting the spheres. Some were, of course, more important than others—at least, Hana thought. The important ones were more powerful and stole more magic than the others, and as such, warranted stronger protection. At least, that's what made sense to Hana. Most of this train of thought, however, was pure speculation based on memories which had been erased from her consciousness and gut feelings. "Perhaps we've been discovered, and they're running from us," she murmured to Riku.

"I don't think that's a possibility."

A bit peeved, Hana hissed snappishly, "What makes _you _dismiss it so quickly, then? For all you know, they could be just a bit further along up here!"

Riku turned to her, and gave her a dark look. "I doubt that any of them would do anything to provoke a confrontation with us after the way we decimated their army. If they knew we were here, they would not come anywhere near us, including taking the time and energy to run from us. They'd hide. That's it."

"You think they're afraid of you."

"That, and they probably don't want to fight you."

"You clearly don't understand how this whole 'evil' thing works, do you?"

Riku stared at her blankly for a moment, and then turned his head to face forward again and resumed scanning through every man in the vicinity. "What I mean by that is, you don't get that they won't care, even if you killed everyone they knew. They don't get scared; they get even. Case-in-point: Korin. As for me… well, I doubt they'll care about that, either. If I'm not with them, I'm against them," Hana said.

For a moment, Riku was silent. His ravenous search for an enemy disguised as a fisherman came to a screeching halt. Slowly, his gaze dropped to the ground, and he could do nothing but watch his feet pass over the aged planks of wood. At last, he said, "That… it's just horrible. Even if Naminé ran off to join up with them tomorrow, I'd never be able to kill her… I can't imagine how any of them could lay a finger against you."

"Assuming I am remembering correctly, the relationships among all of the members are more relationships of convenience than actual friendship. Why do you think Korin doesn't care that I'm gone? She never really cared, that's why." Hana looked so downtrodden that it reminded Riku of a child who had dropped their ice cream cone on the ground.

"Yuri is endlessly thankful for what you did, you know."

"I know, she told me as much."

"So am I."

If it was possible, she looked even more depressed. The emotion permeated every part of her facial expression. Her eyebrows were set stiffly above her eyes, which were focused on the ground; her mouth was a gentle but very serious frown. Her feelings weighed a crushing amount, and her facial expression betrayed just how much. Two lines framed either side of her frown, sadness etched deeper beneath the shallow marks. After a long moment, she mustered the strength to reply at barely a whisper, "I know that, too."

"We don't have to talk about that," Riku quickly muttered, aghast at his own complete and utter lack of sensitivity. _Obviously she can't expect me to be unhappy that Yuri survived_, Riku thought, _but I really shouldn't have come out, guns blazing, wearing my feelings on my sleeve like that. She knows I don't care for her in that way… no need for me to keep rubbing salt in the wide open wound. It's official… Naminé was right. I am stupid_.

Just as quickly as she became upset, the emotion on her face faded as she forced it back inside. Riku wasn't sure where she kept all of it—she was pretty small, after all… but Hana always had a big heart, and he assumed that was one thing about her that never changed. Being part of the Adherence had probably trained her very well to keep her emotions hidden.

"It's okay," she assured him. With enormous effort, she tried for a small smile but missed and ended up with a bit of a wince. "Where is this sphere?" There was no feeling in what she said—she had merely brought up the sphere to direct the conversation away from Yuri, and Riku let her, though the shame of being so stupid lingered, tingeing his cheeks with a pink sheen and leaving his face hot with embarrassment.

"Not sure." He continued to scan their surroundings while they kept moving at a slow pace until they could get a better idea of where the sphere carrier was.

Many feet behind them, a sailor sporting heavy rubber boots clunked along, though to Riku's dismay, he did not have a peg leg. His heavy-looking tan parka didn't seem quite fitting of a sailor and didn't match his dark, battered leather hat. He jingled quite loudly—Riku could even hear it—as though all of the pockets on his jacket were full of loose change. He was hugging his large coat around his body and keeping his head down as if he hoped not to be noticed.

"I feel like the sphere is right on top of us, but I still can't seem to pinpoint it," Hana grumbled, clearly frustrated.

Riku turned his head quickly to steal another glance at the odd sailor, and barely had time to react to what he saw. In a sweep of his muscular arm, invisible bells announced the arrival of his black and red blade. It was darker looking than anyone else's; the opposite of Sora's intricate blue and white keyblade. The blade itself was a black wing, spindly and bat-like, with wine red pieces filling in the spaces between the long, thin dividers; just like the skin between the finger-like bones in a real bat's wing. At the tip, a single dark gray angel's wing hung off to the side. Unfortunately, the presence of that wing and another wing found as half of the circular piece around the blade's handle didn't redeem the dark quality about it. Sora's giant white and blue blade, intricate crisscrossing spilling from the tip down the hilt, looked like the weapon of an angel compared to Riku's.

His muscles strained as the sailor met his keyblade with a large, silver spear. With the appearance of his keyblade, his disguise blasted off of him, leaving his distinctive long hair shining in the morning sunlight. Hana's disguise was gone as well as she drew her katana. The sailor had thrown off his parka and hat to reveal a mop of bleached blond hair, which only meant one thing. The jingling that Riku had originally believed to be loose change was actually his belt full of weapons. Knives and daggers of all shapes and sizes hung (sheathed and unsheathed) all the way around the belt. Chains with thin links that Riku assumed to have some sort of magical property were hung from each of his hips. All in all, this guy was ready for combat—specifically, ready to turn someone into a human pincushion, and then chain them to something, possibly forever, once all was said and done.

Several more blond males descended upon them, each disguised as a fisherman. Riku and Hana stood back-to-back, completely surrounded. A familiar red light began to glow on the hilt of Riku's keyblade, the land lending its unyielding support to him.

Moving so quickly that it looked like he only made one swift, fluid body movement, Riku grabbed at Hana's waist, holding her securely in his left arm while with a graceful heave, his keyblade soared through the air in a frantic and dangerous spin, easily slicing the necks of two dumbstruck Adherence members as it passed. The two enemies that fell left an open space in the circle of enemies, and before anybody could react, Riku ran for it, all the while toting Hana as though she were lighter than a grocery bag. His keyblade flew like a boomerang; he plucked it easily from the air as it soared back toward his head, audibly slicing into the wind as it spun.

"Put me down," Hana complained. "We can't run forever, so you might as well—"

"Just saved your life," Riku snapped anxiously, glancing over his shoulder to see how closely they were following. "You might act a bit more grateful."

"So what's your plan?" Hana asked, panicked. She could see the blond enemies chasing them, and they were much closer than she expected. Riku was such a fast runner that she was amazed the dock didn't collapse with the extra strength the magic was giving him. His feet slammed repeatedly against the wood, making earsplitting cracking noises with each step. Behind them, however, as the Adherence men pounded over the same boards, the wood seemed to be intact.

"Well," Riku said evenly, "I was thinking, get them away from the Port and the town as much as we can. We'll likely pull them all out of the town, so if we call someone who can teleport, they can come back and secure it while we get rid of these guys."

Feeling nauseous from behind held parallel to the ground and moving at such a high speed, Hana mustered a grunt of ascent, but that was all she could do. How could Riku not even be tired? Sure, he was sweating—that much she could see—but he wasn't anywhere near the point of even breathing harder than normal. She took a long moment to collect herself, and managed to choke out a short question: "How can you run like this?"

"Easy. Magic."

Hana rolled her eyes. _Of course_.

"How long can you go for?"

Riku hesitated, though Hana could see his smug smirk. "I actually don't know. Possibly indefinitely?"

"Oh come ON!" Hana said in disbelief. Why did _everything_ about Riku have to be so incredibleand _interesting_? He was an impossible sort of being. Obviously not normal, but not so far from normal that he didn't seem human. His hair was without a doubt otherworldly—come on, who actually _had _hair like that—and the things he could do with a keyblade and a little bit of magic were completely astounding. But beyond all of that, he was more or less a normal guy with normal feelings and an exceptionally unique personality. What was it about him that made him seem so incredible to Hana?

"Impressed?" Riku asked teasingly. "I didn't want to tell you; I knew you'd react this way."

"It's just not fair, the things you can do. I wonder how we've even lasted against you guys."

"They've stolen magic, that's how," Riku said simply. Hana noticed his use of the word 'they' while she had stuck with 'we', thereby still including herself with the Adherence. Riku's reminder that she was on his side now struck a powerful chord in her, and for a moment, she was completely content. For that moment, she didn't feel like the charity case that was booted out of the organization she had been with for a large chunk of her life, and taken in by the pitying good guys. She felt like she belonged with the good guys; like they wanted her there. She didn't speak, just clung to Riku's shirt as he carried her along, still running faster than she could fathom.

* * *

The room was silent. Roxas and Naminé wore nearly identical gaping expressions; conversely, Yuri looked like she was about to collapse into a sobbing heap. As if they needed more terrible things to happen. Slowly, very slowly, Yuri managed to unclamp her hands, stiff in fists, and cover her mouth.

"Nobody ask me if I'm sure," Sora added quietly. "I just _know_. She killed people. A lot of people," he paused, eyes narrowing, "by our standards, anyway."

"Someone has to go to Earth," Kairi murmured sadly. If Korin was there, it was the last place any of them wanted to be.

Another long silence swallowed the room. Even Naminé had no idea what to say, or to do. There were simply too many questions. Could they even find Earth to get back to it? The thought had not crossed Naminé's mind once since arriving in Hollow Bastion. Even if they managed to find it, would any of their magic work there, or would they revert to the normal humans they were before returning to Hollow Bastion? There was no way to know.

"No," Yuri said very suddenly, looking straight at Naminé. "Naminé's right. There are too many questions." Naminé blushed a little when she realized she had been sorting everything out internally on their magic network.

"Sorry," she muttered. "We'd better not get in the habit of just… never speaking out loud." Yuffie pouted a bit in agreement.

"It's fine," Yuri shrugged. "But you're right. We can't just go charging back without knowing whether we'll even be able to come back here, or whether going there will even make a difference. We can't leave everyone here now."

Sora piped up, "Obviously, I agree with that, but how are we going to find out?"

Thick silence descended again. Sora and Yuffie sat down on the bed next to Roxas and Naminé, but Yuri moved over to the balcony and began to pace in the doorway. Kairi sat in an armchair, knees curled to her stomach tightly. "There are a lot of ways we can go about this," Yuri said. "Akiko may know something about it. She figured out how to make herself immortal… I think anything she tells us will be helpful. Aerith knows plenty about containment fields—if we fight on Earth, we'll definitely need one of those."

"If we can fight on Earth." Naminé's tone was grim.

"You're all forgetting something," Kairi said. "I know memories of before we came back are getting a little foggy, but Aerith and Leon came to Earth, and used magic there to boot. If they can, why not us?"

"That's different." Yuffie bit her lip, deep in thought. "_Technically_, you guys originated from Earth. You were reborn, physically at least." Sora was staring oddly at Yuffie, as though he were surprised that she had something to add. "_What_? I paid attention when they were talking before they came to get you guys!"

Kairi and Yuri shared a long, uncertain look. "We _cannot _gamble," Roxas said firmly, glancing quickly at Naminé.

"It would be a really good idea to check with Kyo," Yuri said. "He knows a lot of history. Between Aerith and Akiko, I think we can answer the magic question…"

"But regardless, we can't go without all of the spheres," Naminé reminded her. "They can't be planning to just leave Korin there by herself. They _planned _for us to find out eventually—there must be others joining her. For that matter, Korin was probably sent there to lure us away from here… perhaps so that we wouldn't discover the spheres."

"If Hana told the truth, there's no way Ran would know we had found out about the spheres unless one broke," Roxas added.

Riku's voice in their minds burst the fragile atmosphere of careful reasoning the room had acquired.

_Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! You guys will never guess what just happened…_ _We're done. Absolutely done._

* * *

Riku and Hana were far ahead of their pursuers, but were still within their sight. The point was to lure them away, not to escape. They had taken a moment to readjust, so Hana was in the piggy-back position—a bit more comfortable for both of them. "I think we're far enough out," Riku commented loudly over the rushing wind around them. They were in the middle of a farmer's field on the outskirts of the town. The farmhouse clung to the horizon in the distance, but it was far enough away that it would probably not be threatened by a fight.

"Think you might be right," Hana agreed. "How do we engage them?"

"We hide." Riku sounded absolutely thrilled at the prospect. Hana rolled her eyes again—he would _never_ truly grow up.

Without warning, Riku flung himself into the tall stalks of corn. Hana tumbled from her position, doing a full flip before landing on her back in the soft, black dirt. "You are so rude," she muttered acidly.

"Now _that _was fun," Riku snickered under his breath. "C'mon, we're crawling this way. That way, they'll have no clue where we are and we can get some of them with magic."

They crawled far from where they had dropped to the ground. Before long, they could hear the footsteps of their pursuers closing in on them. "Where are they?" one of the men growled. "They dropped just over there… where'd they go?"

"They didn't teleport," another informed the rest. "We would know if they had."

Riku charged a spell in his hand; Hana followed suit. Aiming very carefully, they launched the balls of magic, and two blond males fell at the back of the group. "What—over there!" One pointed in the direction the magic had come. There were only five left, which was more than manageable, even for Riku alone.

They sprang up from their hiding place among the corn. Drawing their weapons, they charged toward the men, Riku keeping pace with Hana instead of using the insane speed he had shown earlier. Once they caught sight of Hana, they rushed eagerly to meet them, a hunger in their expressions that Riku had never seen in the face of an Adherence member before.

"Kill the traitor!" one of them screeched. "Boss has offered a reward for the traitor's body!"

Riku understood, then. Even though Hana was not a threat to the secrets of their organization, Ran would still not let her live based purely on her own dignity and reputation. Nobody would get away from her and live to tell about it. He grasped his keyblade tighter. Despite all the conflicting (and very confusing) emotions she had instigated, he still did not like the idea of someone targeting her or trying to kill her. _I'll watch her carefully_, he resolved. _Yuri almost died yesterday. Nobody else needs a knife in them_.

With a great heave, he met the blades of three of the men, shoving them back with great effort. Through the tip of his keyblade, he shot a spell through one, leaving a bloody wound in his stomach. The other two looked almost frightened, and hesitated momentarily before attacking Riku again. Clearly, Ran had insisted that retreating against any of them was not an option and would result in a horrible punishment. For a moment, Riku felt a pang of sympathy for the members of the Adherence. It was very likely some of them were trapped in the organization against their wills. He vaguely wondered whether he had killed any of those sorts of people. Remorse consumed him internally, but with a bitter mental shove, he pushed the emotion away. It was not the time to be considering the circumstances under which many of his victims had died.

He flicked his wrist, slicing through the metal of their blades with his own. Behind him, he heard a slash and the very unpleasant noise of a man dying at Hana's hand. Even with a quick glance, he could see that it had taken a very deep blow for her to kill him, and her hands were covered in gore. The men he was fighting regenerated their swords, and Riku went to it again, parrying blows left and right. When he saw an opening, he went for it—right through the man's throat—and another fell. The last man's expression was that of pure terror. With a sweeping glance, Riku knew instantly that the man was no match for him, and the fight was over.

Hana wailed. Riku made fast work of the last man and whirled around. A long gash on Hana's forearm bled, fresh scarlet running down her arm to meet the pink stain already on her hands. It was the man with the spear that had jumped them on the docks. Riku could sense his magic, and it was enormous, a white hot light against the dull, empty land surrounding them. Riku was shocked Hana had not noticed how powerful this one was compared the others—why didn't she go for the weaker ones and leave this one to him? He ran to join her, shoving her gently out of the way as he blocked a blow with his keyblade. She landed on the ground, and held her arm tightly against her stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding, staining her clothes in the process. Healing spells were tricky, and Hana wasn't confident enough in her ability to heal such a large wound.

Riku struggled against the lone challenger, exchanging extremely fast strokes with their oddly matched weapons, each fighter blocking and returning expertly. The man tried a simple spell to catch Riku off-guard, but he was too quick with his magic shield—Naminé had taught him so very well. With the enormous magic that hovered around him, Riku knew he was capable of much, much more, and was careful not to let his guard down, even when Hana whimpered quietly from the sideline.

After several minutes of non-stop, ferocious fighting, Riku at last had a breakthrough, slicing through the man's spear at last and wounding him in the stomach. Surprisingly, the man did not move to heal himself, but fell into the dirt, holding the wound tightly. Riku moved quickly, hovering over the man with the blade at his neck. "Before I kill you, tell me everything you know." He jabbed the tip of the blade a bit closer to the man's throat for emphasis.

With a sick smile, a maniacal smile, the man dug into his pocket. Riku immediately knew what the burning magic around him had been, and acted right away, grabbing at the man's hand before he could do what Riku was afraid he might—

Clutched in the man's hand was a glowing orange sphere, a bit larger than the one he and Hana found in the cavern. The light was brighter, too, the magic greater. An electric blue light from the man's palm surrounded the sphere, burning Riku's hand as he tried to wrestle it away from him. With a surge of power, the glass cracked—and shattered.

A string of colorful curses flew through Riku's mind as rage built in his chest, a harsh pressure that he could not contain. The man died laughing, pleased that he had managed to ruin the enemy's chances at a surprise victory. With a furious scream, Riku flung his keyblade as far as he could, though it wasn't a strategic, measured throw like on the docks. It flew end over end and disappeared, leaving glittering magic behind. He spun to tend to Hana, and put his thoughts into his internal magic network. _Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! You guys will never guess what just happened… We're done. Absolutely done._

In the castle, Yuri cursed right along with Riku as he explained the situation. A sphere had been broken—not by any of them, of course, but by one of the members of the Adherence in a stroke of genius. It was lucky none of the others had thought of it before that man. Sure, it took magic from their leader and peers, but it also alerted her to what was happening. He would be honored like a hero for what he had done.

"What now?" Yuri asked, voice cracking under the new strain of the situation. "She knows what we're doing. What now?"

_I don't know, _Riku responded rigidly, still very obviously furious, _but Hana's hurt. We're coming back… I have a feeling the shit's about to hit the fan._

"We're already there," Yuri muttered, clasping her hands together to prevent herself from grabbing something nearby and destroying it like she wanted to.

_Excuse me_?

"You know what is just _so _polite of you guys?" Yuffie began sarcastically. "When you talk, but I can't hear half of the conversation! Seriously, _what _is going on?"

Sora murmured Riku's story to her while Yuri continued, "Sora's finally been given his extra power… it seems he can pinpoint specific spells, who is using them, and where they are."

_So_?

"So," Yuri pressed, "Sora felt _someone _casting _very _bad magic in a _very _bad place."

_Really, not in the mood._

"Korin. Killing spells. Earth. Seriously, Riku, you're so smart… you could have figured that out easily."

_Seriously? Damn, this is even more serious than I thought!_

"You're telling me. Just get back here, Yuffie's getting angry that she can't hear your half of the conversation, though Sora's muttering the whole thing to her under his breath."

_Will do_.

In a matter of seconds, Riku appeared in the room, cradling an injured Hana in his arms. He set her gently on the bed. Almost reading his mind, Naminé lobbed a walkie-talkie across the room into his waiting hand. It seemed that at some point that morning, their walkie had fallen off of Hana's belt where it was clipped. "Axel, Akiko… sorry to bother you again, but when you get a minute, could you quick check out Port Pine? I think we pulled out all of the Adherence, you'll just need to secure it. Then, could you come back to the castle?"

"Roger," Axel replied immediately, sounding positively gleeful. At least one person was having fun with the situation.

Riku tossed the walkie back to Naminé while Yuri descended upon Hana. With a quick healing spell, the wound closed and the bleeding stopped.

"Thank you," Hana said gratefully.

"You've done so much for us, it's the absolute least I could do."

Hana flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry that he broke the sphere… there really wasn't anything we could do."

"I tried," Riku said bitterly, holding up his burned palm. Yuri took his hand in hers, and carefully set her fingers over the injury as she healed it. Hana thought her fingers lingered a bit after the spell was finished, and tried to ignore the feelings of jealousy and resentment that were parasitic in her brain, trying to consume her reason.

"I think I have a plan," Yuri said, at last releasing Riku's hand. "Riku and I will talk to Kyo about the historical aspect of everything here. Naminé, you will talk to Aerith, because if we use a containment field, I trust you to cast it more than myself. She'll need to teach you. When Axel and Akiko arrive, Kairi, I want you to help them get cleaned up and find something to eat. Then, we'll reconvene, gather up the spheres that we have, and talk about how to get to Earth and who will go."

"Good," Naminé said. "Come on, Roxas, let's go radio Aerith and wait for her in headquarters."

They linked arms and disappeared. "Yuri, I think Yuffie and I will go grab some food, if that's okay."

She smiled. "Of course. You've worked very hard."

"Hurrah!" Yuffie punched her fist into the air. "I am SO hungry!" She grabbed for Sora's wrist, and dragged him from the room while everyone chuckled. How _Yuffie_.

"I'll stay here and watch Cloud and Tifa," Kairi said, walking back out onto the balcony as magic gathered in her eyes.

"Perfect! Everyone's occupied," Yuri said, pleased. "Let's go." She linked her arm through Riku's and in less than a second, they reappeared in the library.

Riku immediately turned to her, absolutely choking with happiness that she was okay. He had been so nervous to see her again—the last time they spoke, they had fought. It felt like it was weeks ago, though truly it could not have been more than hours.

She was close enough to touch, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. So much had happened since the last time he had seen her, it was unbelievable. "I'm so sorry." She slowly took his hands in hers, guiding them to her face. With closed eyes, she placed them at her temples, half buried in her long, blonde hair, and held them there with her own pressed over his. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine," he replied lamely. He was so surprised that he was touching her that the words didn't want to come. She still didn't know about the Hana escapade…

"You were just saying such nice things… and I threw it in your face…"

"It's okay," he insisted, half-smiling down at her. "I'm just glad you're feeling better…"

"I'm so happy you're alive. I worry about you."

"We're both here now…" he let his voice trail off, finally meeting her gaze. He was afraid just one look would leave him spilling the whole story of what had happened in the cavern, but the effect was actually calming. Her hands fell back to her sides, but Riku's stayed put at the sides of her face.

She was a bit closer, almost leaning against him. "I'm happy about that."

"You've grown up since we got here, you know," Riku commented, a note of teasing in his voice.

She smirked. "That may be true, but really, I'm just like you."

He raised an eyebrow, but couldn't stop smiling. "Oh?"

"You like life with a little danger, I think. You act all grown up on the outside, but like to do dangerous things and act like a kid, just like me."

"What have you done lately, besides engaging in a war, that was dangerous?" Riku couldn't resist chuckling. The thought of her doing anything like the things he did was nothing short of absurd.

"Well, you know how we're standing right now?"

Riku bobbed his head in a minute nod, not wanting to disrupt the moment. He was suddenly afraid that she was going to pull away. He wasn't quite ready to let go.

"This is dangerous," she said quietly. "If someone important saw us, I'd be in an unbelievable amount of trouble."

"Oh really." His tone was teasing.

"Technically, I'm supposed to be in mourning for my _husband_, who you killed," she said, sounding a bit disgusted with the idea.

"Well, luckily, neither of us is afraid of a little danger, then," Riku said, smiling widely.

"Definitely not."

Riku started to bend towards her, his heart hammering so violently he was sure she could hear it. He stopped inches from her face and closed his eyes, a smile so bitter it was almost a grimace across his mouth. "Kyo is coming. I can hear his thoughts."

She sighed. "Damn."

_Screw it_, Riku thought, and kissed her swiftly anyway before letting go of her face and stepping back a few strides. Kyo rounded the corner, and was right behind Riku.

"Your Majesty, Riku!" he said in surprise. "I thought I heard your voices. How wonderful it is to see you!"

"Indeed," Yuri replied politely, face the color of a ripe strawberry. Her voice sounded a bit distant, as though maybe she was not particularly pleased that Kyo had chosen that moment to appear.

No more than a few minutes later, Kyo had seated Yuri and Riku at a large wooden table. A maid appeared with coffee for them, which Riku drank gratefully. He could hear Yuri snickering under her breath as he gulped it down. "Thirsty?" she teased.

"You can't even imagine."

Kyo laughed. "You guys are the same as ever. What is it that you needed to speak with me about?"

"We need to go to Earth," Riku told him. "Someone's been killing there."

"Ah, I see the problem," he said with a nod. "You're unsure what will happen if you return to Earth, since that was where you originated."

"Right," Yuri affirmed. "We obviously don't want to go into this situation blindly and end up stuck back on Earth, or get there and realize our magic is no good."

Kyo tapped his chin. "I don't foresee any sort of problem like that. To go back to Earth permanently and be normal again, Naminé would have to invent another spell. Your powers should be fully functional when you get there, but summoning Hollow Bastion as you do may be a touch more difficult, your grace. At least, with any king or queen who chanced a trip to Earth in the past, that is how it was."

"I'm not sure about that," Riku said. "The land even reached out to help me today on its own. I think it might sense that we are close to victory… I think it might be feeling restless."

Kyo froze completely at the word 'restless'. "Are you… quite sure?"

"It's a difficult thing to mistake."

"That it is," he agreed uncomfortably. "Riku, might I have a word alone with her majesty? I assure you, it won't take long."

"Of course," he said, standing. _I'll be in the kitchen_, he added for Yuri.

She watched him go, the constant knot of worry in her stomach wrenching uncomfortably, as though Kyo had even _more _bad news. Once Riku was gone, Yuri said, "What is it, Kyo?"

"I'm afraid there's a legend about our land… You must understand, I did not realize the situation was what it is… there is a legend which refers to just this sort of situation that I must tell you. Your safety depends on it."

* * *

Favorite part of Sincerely, Nobody: Riku talking about peg legs. XD Hahaha. I really, really enjoyed writing that portion. Anyway, what did you think? :D Leave me reviews!

Love,

Lulala


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